In the last few years there has been a significant increase in research on e-cigarettes and evidence reviews have been, and continue to be, regularly published. This briefing is specifically written to summarise information and address issues relevant to UK health and social care professionals and to stop smoking practitioners in particular.

We draw heavily on the 2022 evidence review by King’s College London for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), recent annual surveys by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and the University College London (CRUK funded) Smoking Toolkit Study. The 2022 Cochrane Review that concluded with high certainty that people who smoke are more likely to stop smoking for at least six months using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes compared to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is also significant.

Whilst this briefing is based on the most recent data at the time of publication, this is a dynamic area. The data from this year may not hold next year. Products, user groups and behaviours are changing rapidly. This is especially the case with the rise of single-use products amongst young people who have never smoked.