Reasons for use of e-cigarettes

Use as a smoking cessation aid

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals. Ever-users of e-cigarettes who were either recent quitters or current smokers that had tried to quit in the past 2 years, were asked “(In the past two years), did you use an e-cigarette to quit smoking?”; half (53.5%)^a reported doing so.

Use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking did not differ significantly between males (57.4%)^b and females (49.3%)^c.¹⁷⁸ However, there were significant differences by age group in use as a cessation aid,¹⁷⁹ with higher prevalence among older smokers (Figure 12.23).

When considering all those who had ever used an e-cigarette (of any smoking status), 23.6%^d reported using it as a quit aid within the past 2 years (21.7%^e of males; 26.5%^f of females).

Three-quarters (74.4%)^g of smokers who had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days were intending to quit smoking in the next 6 months, significantly greater than the 55.4%^h of smokers who had NOT used e-cigarettes.¹⁸⁰Intentions to quit smoking in the next 30 days were not significantly different between past 30-day users (31.1%)ⁱ and non-users (26.1%)^j of e-cigarettes.¹⁸¹

Figure 12.23 Data table with 95% confidence intervals

Figure 12.23: Use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking, among ever users who were either recent quitters or smokers who had tried to quit in the past 2 years, by age group, 2017
Age group	15-19	20-24	25-34	35-44	45+
Percentage of ever user/quitters	50.3 [38.9-61.6]	42.8 [34.4-51.1]	43.4 [23.0-63.8]	52.6 [34.9-70.4]	66.7 [56.0-77.3]

Data source: Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2017

Use to replace cigarettes

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals. Current smokers (who had used e-cigarettes) were asked the following: “Sometimes smokers use e-cigarettes even when they are not attempting to quit smoking. Have you ever used e-cigarettes when you were not able to smoke or when you wanted to smoke fewer cigarettes?”

Overall, nearly half (44.6%)^k of e-cigarette ever-users who were also cigarette smokers reported using an e-cigarette when they were unable to smoke, or to smoke fewer cigarettes.

This type of use was not significantly different between males (41.4%)^l and females (48.8%)^m,¹⁸² or between age groups¹⁸³(Figure 12.24).

When all current smokers were considered, 23.8%ⁿ reported ever using an e-cigarette to replace cigarettes (22.8%^o of males; 25.1%^p of females).

Figure 12.24 Data table with 95% confidence intervals

Figure 12.24: Use of e-cigarettes to replace cigarettes, among ever users who were current smokers, by age group, 2017
Age group	15-19	20-24	25-34	35-44	45+
Percentage of ever user/smokers	43.1 [32.3-53.9]	40.7 [33.3-48.1]	44.6 [27.5-61.7]	45.0 [24.7-65.3]	46.0 [35.4-56.5]

Data source: Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2017

95% confidence intervals for in-text estimates

a: 53.5 [45.4-61.6]
b: 57.4 [46.9-67.9]
c: 49.3 [36.6-62.0]
d: 23.6 [19.0-28.2]
e: 21.7 [15.9-27.5]
f: 26.5 [19.4-33.6]
g: 74.4 [64.4-84.3]
h: 55.4 [47.7-63.0]
i: 31.1 [19.2-43.0]
j: 26.1 [21.1-31.1]
k: 44.6 [37.0-52.3]
l: 41.4 [31.3-51.5]
m: 48.8 [37.5-60.2]
n: 23.8 [19.0-28.7]
o: 22.8 [16.6-29.0]
p: 25.1 [17.6-32.5]