Use of nicotine vaping products during an attempt to quit smoking by Canadian adults who smoke or recently quit: findings from the 2022 Canada International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey

Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2025 Jan;45(1):54-60. doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.45.1.04.
[Article in English, French]

Abstract

An analysis of 1771 Canadian adults who smoke or used to smoke cigarettes was conducted using data from the 2022 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey. Using weighted data, we estimated the prevalence of Canadian adults who tried to quit smoking between 2020 and 2022, and the use of a nicotine vaping product (NVP) and the flavours and devices used most often at their most recent quit attempt. Overall, 36.5% made a quit attempt; of those, 19.4% used an NVP. Those who were younger and quit smoking were more likely to have used an NVP. Prefilled cartridges or pods (36.3%) and fruit flavours (39.5%) were used most frequently.

Nous avons mené une analyse portant sur 1 771 adultes canadiens qui fument ou fumaient des cigarettes en nous fondant sur les données de l’Enquête sur le tabagisme et le vapotage dans quatre pays menée en 2022 par le Projet international d’évaluation de la lutte antitabac. En utilisant des données pondérées, nous avons estimé la prévalence des tentatives d’abandon du tabagisme chez les adultes canadiens entre 2020 et 2022 et nous avons évalué leur utilisation d’un produit de vapotage contenant de la nicotine (PVN), de même que les arômes et les dispositifs le plus souvent utilisés lors de leur tentative d’abandon la plus récente. Dans l’ensemble, 36,5 % des participants ont tenté de cesser de fumer et 19,4 % de ces derniers ont utilisé un PVN. Ceux qui étaient plus jeunes et qui avaient effectivement cessé de fumer étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir utilisé un PVN. Les cartouches ou capsules (pods) préremplies (36,3 %) et les arômes de fruits (39,5 %) étaient les choix les plus populaires.

Keywords: cigarette smoking; nicotine vaping; policy; quit attempt; vaping devices; vaping flavours.

Plain language summary

In 2021, Health Canada proposed imposing federal restrictions on all nicotine vaping product (NVP) flavours except for tobacco, menthol and mint, although some provinces have already implemented flavour bans. One in five Canadian adults who tried to quit smoking used an NVP during their most recent attempt; fruit flavours and prefilled cartridges or pods were most commonly used. 68% of Canadian adults who attempted to quit smoking used flavours that would be prohibited under Health Canada’s flavour restrictions proposal. There were no differences in flavours or devices used most between those who reported quitting smoking and those who did not quit.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Canada / epidemiology
  • Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Smoking Cessation* / methods
  • Smoking Cessation* / statistics & numerical data
  • Tobacco Control
  • Vaping* / epidemiology
  • Young Adult