It’s Hard to Quit Smoking. But Rutgers Researchers Want to Make It Easier Through Improved Communication

Rutgers Health researchers are assessing why more adults don’t switch to e-cigarettes, cited as less harmful than regular ones

Less than 10 percent of adults who try to quit smoking each year actually succeed, but forthcoming research will explore ways to improve these odds.

Rutgers Health researchers are assessing why more adults don’t switch to electronic cigarettes. Led by Caitlin Victoria Weiger, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies, team members of the project also aim to identify more effective ways of communicating relevant, health-related information to smokers.

Made possible by a $171,742 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the two-year study will run through June 2026.

“We’re not suggesting that e-cigarettes are safe,” Weiger said. “But they are less harmful than regular combustible cigarettes you would light with a lighter if adults who smoke cigarettes switch completely to them. So, they can improve health by being used as an alternative for adults who want to quit smoking, but haven’t been able to, or want to continue using nicotine with fewer health risks.”

Previous research has indicated that between two-thirds and three-quarters of people believe e-cigarettes are as unsafe as regular cigarettes – or even more dangerous. Identifying ways to correct this misinformation is central to the study.

“We’re not trying to glorify vaping, and I expect a degree of blow-back,” Weiger said. “E-cigarettes have a very bad reputation, and that’s problematic. I simply want people to understand that the combustion that occurs when you light a cigarette creates a ton of harmful chemicals that aren’t present in noncombustible e-cigarettes.”

The Rutgers study will gather information via a nationwide survey of adults who are 21 and older and smoke at least five cigarettes daily. Weiger and her colleagues will attempt to:

• Enhance development of effective messaging by identifying clusters of beliefs (e.g., belief classes) about cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
• Develop and pilot test messages targeting prevalent classes of belief related to cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
• Test finalized, new messages related to beliefs, intention to change, and actual use of e-cigarettes.

“I’m aware none of this is going to be easy,” Weiger said. “In addition to nicotine addiction, some people have a strong, emotional attachment to cigarettes, which can be a barrier to switching. It’s all very complicated.”