One should keep in mind , that the most advertised aspect of the e-cigarettes was the fact that it is closest to being not harmful , or it can contain the least amount of harmful substances . E-cigarettes have been used mostly by the population of smokers who wish to quit and need an intermediary step . Moreover , the audiences that are a target for the producers of e-cigarettes are the tobacco smokers who are severely addicted . A study conducted over a period of one year , testing 958 hospitalized patients who consume tobacco cigarettes , through a survey , test the smoker ’ s expectancies for conventional cigarettes and the electronic cigarettes . In accordance to several factors including the health risks , satisfying the craving for nicotine , the flavor and the relieve effect on anxiety , the patients marked the electronic cigarettes significantly weaker compared to conventional cigarettes ( Hendricks et al . 2014 ). Figure 1 indicates the scores in a summary table below , which have been given by the participants who have filled the survey , regarding to the questions they have been asked . In all the areas , it is clear that the expectancies for e-cigarettes have been marked as weaker .
Figure 1 : Comparisons of e-cigarettes-specific and tobacco-specific brief smoking consequences questionnaire – Adult ( BSCQ-A ) scale scores ( Hendricks et al . 2014:108 )
On the subject of institutions that offer help for smokers who are interested to quit , known as Stop Smoking Services , and in the UK , there has been such rehabilitation centers since 1999 , which has set standards for rehab centers in other countries . There has been an increase in the demand for electronic cigarettes as a tool to facilitate the patients to quit smoking . However , the e-cigarettes have not been proven medically to be used across the rehabilitation centers . A group of researchers designed a survey which had been sent to several Stop Smoking Services across the UK , directing the questionnaires to the managers and the practitioners . According to the results attained , the e-cigarettes are considered a helpful tool for a smoker to quite as it contains doses of nicotine , in lesser amounts , which enter the blood stream similarly to the tobacco cigarettes , but less harmful . Results have proven that a large number of the practitioners are currently using the electronic cigarettes as a tool to quit their addiction , however , it has not been licensed as a medicine , which is the reason it has raised concerns ( Beard et al . 2014 ). There is no doubt that the effect of the electronic cigarettes on the human health is significantly lower , however , there is an area of uncertainty on the other harmful chemical ingredients .
822 ZEMCH 2015 | International Conference | Bari - Lecce , Italy