Smokers are more likely to quit as smoking prevalence decreases, study shows

Smokers are more likely to reduce their smoking and try to quit as the proportion of people who smoke in a population decreases, an international study has found,1 suggesting that current smoking reduction strategies are working and questioning claims that electronic (e) cigarettes provide a harm reduction strategy for smokers who are unable to quit.

Researchers analysed survey data on tobacco covering 18 years in the United States (1992-93 to 2010-11) and six years (2006 to 2012) in 31 European countries. The results, reported in Tobacco Control, showed that the number of people trying to quit …