Let's talk e-cigarettes

Oxford University
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Since coming on the market over a decade ago, e-cigarettes have divided opinion. A team of Oxford researchers are searching for new e-cigarette studies every month. In this podcast series, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson talk about what has been found, and how this changes what we know about e-cigarettes. This podcast is made possible through generous funding from Cancer Research UK. Art work by Olivia Barratier. Produced by Dr Ailsa Butler.

  1. DEC 1

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, November 2025

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Elly Leavens, University of Kansas Medical Center, USA. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr. Elly Leavens, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In the November 2025 podcast Elly Leavens talks about her recent pilot trial published in Frontiers in Public Health, called 'E-cigarette puff topography instruction to enhance switching among COPD patients who smoke'. This pilot study was supported by funds from the Cancer Prevention and Control Program within the University of Kansas Cancer Center, as well as by the National Cancer Institute. The 46 participants who smoked and had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) completed a 12-week e-cigarette switching trial in which they were randomized to brief advice or low intensity, or high-intensity puffing topography training. Elly Leavens and colleagues found that e-cigarettes had potential to minimize harm in COPD patients who smoke, but that, puff topography training did not change switch success or reduction in cigarette smoking as compared to the brief advice to switch. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our searches for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st November 2025 found: 1 new study (10.1037/adb0001100); 2 ongoing new studies (NCT07172438; NCT07202039); and 1 linked report reported in this podcast (10.3389/fpubh.2025.1664400). Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review carried out 1st November 2025 found: 1 new ongoing study (NCT07207850). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub10/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub3/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    22 min

  2. OCT 27

    Let’s talk e-cigarettes, October 2025, episode 46

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Justin Strickland, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Justin Strickland, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In the October 2025 podcast Justin Strickland talks about his work on e-cigarette withdrawal syndrome presented at the 13th Annual Vermont Center on Behavior and Health Conference, held in Vermont, USA. Justin is a behavioural pharmacologist working with substance use and substance use disorder. His research applies behavioural economic methods to evaluate choice and decision-making mechanisms that may underlie substance use and identify targets for their reduction. Justin begins by describing behavioral economics and how our environment and context shape the decisions we make, for example, how the cost of goods can influence patterns of consumption. As a relatively new class of products less is known about e-cigarette withdrawal than tobacco withdrawal syndrome. Justin describes his ongoing study of e-cigarette withdrawal syndrome among people who have exclusively used e-cigarettes. Participants stay in a residential unit for one week, where their behaviour, physiology and other measures, including their nicotine clearance, are measured. Preliminary findings indicate that participants do experience withdrawal to e-cigarettes, for example cravings that reduce over time. Looking to the future he calls for longer-term trials to observe behaviour and to explore predictors of complete cessation. Such research could inform the development of more effective behavioral interventions or pharmacological treatments to support individuals experiencing e-cigarette withdrawal. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our searches for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st October 2025 found: 1 new study (10.18332/852498tivblr); 2 ongoing new studies (ISRCTN12504090, 10.1177/29768357251337050); and 4 linked reports (10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108414, 10.1037/pha0000803, 10.1093/ntr/ntaf200, 10.1101/2024.06.21.24309282). Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review carried out 1st October 2025 found: 1 new ongoing study (10.3389/fpubh.2025.1618341). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    17 min

  3. SEP 26

    Let’s talk e-cigarettes, September 2025, episode 45

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Ryan Courtney from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Associate Professor Ryan Courtney from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia In the September podcast Ryan Courtney talks about his recent randomised controlled trial looking at vaporised nicotine products (VNP, e-cigarettes) compared to nicotine replacement therapy (gum/ lozenges) for smoking cessation among people experiencing social disadvantage. This study was funded by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and included 1045 people at the start of the study with 866 people completing follow up. The verified 6-month continuous abstinence rate was 28.4% (148 of 522) in the e-cigarette group and 9.6% (50 of 523) in the NRT group. Their findings indicate that e-cigarettes are more effective than NRT for smoking cessation in this population. Given the challenges for cessation among these socially disadvantaged populations, the authors of the study consider that e-cigarettes present a promising treatment option for this priority group. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our searches for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st August and 1st September 2025 found four new studies (10.7326/ANNALS-24-03531 by Courtney et al discussed in this podcast; 10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00101-X; 10.1186/s12916-025-04167-y; 10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108389). The searches found six papers linked studies included in the review (10.57187/s.4571; 10.1186/s13063-025-08954-z; 10.1111/add.70115; 10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108353; 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112821; 10.3310/JHFR0841). Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review carried out 1st August and 1st September 2025 found two new ongoing studies (NCT07040566; ISRCTN11383698), and one linked paper (10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00145-8). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    22 min

  4. JUL 31

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, July 2025

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Elias Klemperer from the University of Vermont, USA. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr Elias Klemperer behavioural scientist and licenced clinical psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, USA. Elias works in the field of tobacco regulatory science and tobacco control. He has a special interest in long-term users of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, dual users, a group who take in nicotine via two methods. In the July podcast Elias Klemperer discusses his recent 2 × 2 factorial trial randomized trial of nicotine replacement therapy (patches and lozenges) in 396 young adult dual users aged 18–29 (DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntaf119). In a randomized factorial trial participants are randomly placed into different groups to test more than one treatment at the same time. The study was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Cancer Institute, USA. Elias Klemperer and his team carried out this study as little is known regarding nicotine replacement therapy for young adult dual users, or whether to recommend quitting versus continuing e-cigarettes during smoking cessation treatment. The participants received 12 weeks of combination NRT compared to no NRT for stopping smoking, plus text-based treatment recommendations to quit or to continue using e-cigarettes. This advice was delivered via written material, an animated video they developed in-house, and text message support during the 12-week treatment period. The study looked at abstinence from cigarettes at 12 and 24 weeks. Their study found that NRT was effective in promoting early smoking cessation among young adult dual users. Their secondary findings indicated that pairing NRT with support to quit both products could enhance the effects on prolonged cigarette abstinence. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our search for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st July 2025 found six papers linked studies included in the review (10.1101/2025.05.06.25327053; 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101833; 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112740; 10.1186/s13722-025-00575-w; 10.1038/s41598-025-03904-w; 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098005). Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review up to 1st July 2025 found one new study by Klemperer et al discussed in this podcast (10.1093/ntr/ntaf119), one new ongoing study (10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096963), and two linked papers (10.1093/heapro/daaf085; 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.04.012). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    19 min

  5. JUN 30

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, June 2025

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson interview Lauren McMillan, University of Stirling about her project evaluating the effectiveness of an e-cigarette intervention for smoking cessation at centres for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Lauren McMillan from the Institute for Social Marketing and Health (ISMH) at the University of Stirling. In the June podcast Lauren discusses Project SCeTCH - a cluster RCT that evaluates the effectiveness of an e-cigarette intervention vs usual care at centres for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The study measures smoking abstinence over a 6 month follow-up period and includes embedded process and economic evaluations. If effective, the results will be used to inform the larger-scale implementation of offering e-cigarettes throughout centres for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to aid smoking cessation. Lauren is part of the research team, led by Dr Allison Ford at the University of Stirling, that conducted the process evaluation of the SCeTCH trial . The main SCeTCH trial was led by Professor Lynne Dawkins (London Southbank University) and Dr Sharon Cox (University College London). This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our search for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st June 2025 found 1 ongoing study: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06948058 Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review up to 1st June 2025 found 2 new (DOI 10.1093/ntr/ntaf112; 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107664) and 2 linked papers (DOI: 10.2196/72002; 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107958) For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    18 min

  6. MAY 30

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, May 2025. Ep 42

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Steve Cook from the University of Michigan USA about the importance of correctly interpreting and assessing the available data. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr Steven Cook from the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health University of Michigan and the Centre for Assessment of Tobacco Regulations, University of Michigan. In the May podcast Steve Cook discusses the methodological problems of cross-sectional data on the health effects of e-cigarette use a topic he addressed at the May 2025 EC Summit, Washington DC. Steve Cook underlines why all cross-sectional health effects studies should be interpreted with extreme caution unless they examine dose-response relationships and account for temporality and cigarette smoking confounding. Dr Cook emphasises the importance of other information such as smoking histories and health histories and the importance of developing a best practice to ensure that we minimize the risks associated with spurious association and maximise predictive accuracy. Steven Cook receives National Institute for Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) funding. This is not deemed a conflict of interest. EC Summit, Washington DC: https://www.e-cigarette-summit.com/program-2025/ Recent paper: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.111985 This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our search for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st May 2025 found 1 ongoing (NCT06922617) and 1 linked study (DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.17.25322409). Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review up to 1st May 2025 found 1 new (DOI 10.1001/jama.2025.3810) and 4 ongoing studies (DOI 10.2196/71961, KCT0010346, NCT06909500, NCT06929520). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    26 min

  7. APR 30

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, April 2025

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson explore new e-cigarette research and speak with Eden Evins from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about her randomized clinical trial on varenicline for youth vaping cessation. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Eden Evins from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. In the April podcast Eden Evins discusses the findings of their new randomised clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of varenicline for nicotine vaping cessation in 261 treatment seeking youth (16-24 years) who do not smoke tobacco regularly. This study has just been published in JAMA, April 2025 (DOI:10.1001/jama.2025.3810 NCT05367492). Professor Evins describes her interest in the high use of vapes among young people and the speed at which this increase to a different flavoured form of nicotine has occurred. Professor Evins and her team thought that varenicline, a pill based drug that is used for quitting smoking, could work for vaping cessation. She talks about the huge demand to take part in the study and how the team had to pause recruitment to keep up. She describes how young people were indignant, they had not expected to become addicted. Professor Evins says that when young people found they couldn't sit through a study session without needing to vape they were surprised and felt taken advantage of by marketers and these flavored products that they had thought were for fun. Their study funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US shows that the continuous abstinence rates in the last month of treatment (51% vs 14%) and at 6-month follow-up (28% vs 7%) are higher in the varenicline group than in the placebo group. This was a 12-week trial with 6 month follow up. Treatment-emergent adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. In summary varenicline, when added to brief cessation counselling, is well tolerated and promotes nicotine vaping cessation compared with placebo in youth with addiction to vaped nicotine. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our search for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st April 2025 found 1 new ongoing study (NCT06789692) and 5 linked papers. Our search for our interventions for quitting vaping review up to 1st April 2025 found 3 new ongoing studies (NCT06862050; TCTR20250203006; NCT06885606), For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    21 min

  8. MAR 28

    Let's talk e-cigarettes, March 2025

    Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Monserrat Conde from the University of Oxford. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr Monserrat Conde from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. In the March podcast Monserrat Conde discusses the findings of the recent systematic review of electronic cigarettes and subsequent smoking in young people and an evidence and gap map. The systematic review aims to assess the evidence for a relationship between the use of e-cigarettes /vapes and subsequent smoking in young people under 30, and whether this differs by demographic characteristics. There is very low certainty evidence suggesting that e-cigarette use and availability are inversely associated with smoking in young people (i.e. as e-cigarettes become more available and/or are used more widely, youth smoking rates go down or, conversely, as e-cigarettes are restricted, youth smoking rates go up). At an individual level, people who vape appear to be more likely to go on to smoke than people who do not vape; however, it is unclear if these behaviours are causally linked. Monserrat discusses the differences in the information coming from the population studies compared to the individual level studies and notes that most studies are from high income countries, in particular from the US. To see the full review: https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16773 This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and Interventions for quitting vaping review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches for the EC for smoking cessation review carried out on 1st March 2025 found 1 new study (DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112271), one new ongoing study (ACTRN12625000179437) and two records linked to studies included in the review. Our literature searches for the interventions for quitting vaping review carried out on 1st March 2025 found 2 new ongoing studies (NCT06832098, ACTRN12625000143426) and four records linked to studies included in the review. For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review of E-cigarettes for smoking cessation updated in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub9/full For more information on the full Cochrane review of Interventions for quitting vaping published in January 2025 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD016058.pub2/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

    18 min
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About

Since coming on the market over a decade ago, e-cigarettes have divided opinion. A team of Oxford researchers are searching for new e-cigarette studies every month. In this podcast series, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson talk about what has been found, and how this changes what we know about e-cigarettes. This podcast is made possible through generous funding from Cancer Research UK. Art work by Olivia Barratier. Produced by Dr Ailsa Butler.

Information

  • Creator
    Oxford University
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oxford University
  • Show Website
    Let's talk e-cigarettes

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