Policy 3.1 Key findingsĪs with tobacco products, in most parts of the UK, there is a minimum age of sale of 18 for e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes cannot be purchased on behalf of someone under the age of 18. The ECig Intelligence Global Database was used to explore average price of various categories of e-cigarette. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( MHRA) provided us with details for spontaneous suspected adverse reaction reports for e-cigarettes along with details of suspected adverse drug reactions for nicotine replacement therapy products. UK Fire and Rescue Incident Recording System (as reported by the Home Office) data were used for information on fires due to e-cigarettes.įreedom of information ( FOI) requests were also sent to the UK regional fire and rescue services for information on fires caused by e-cigarettes and mobile phones.Ī freedom of information request was sent to burns units, but for many, the cost of accessing the data would have been excessive. Publicly available data from the National Poison Information Service were used for information on poisonings. International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Surveyĭata from NHS Digital (derived from local authorities) were assessed for Stop Smoking Service information.ASH Smoke-free Great Britain - Adult survey.Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England survey.Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey.ASH Smoke-free Great Britain – Youth survey.This was not included in the 2015 report so literature was searched from 1 January 2010 to 13 July 2017. Searches of the published, peer-reviewed literature on e-cigarette published between 1 January 2015 and 18 August 2017.Ī separate literature search was conducted for heat-not-burn products. The evidence falls into 3 main categories: peer-reviewed literature, surveys and other reports and databases sourced by and made available to PHE, King’s College London and other partner organisations since the publication of the 2015 report. The methods and sources of data used in the remaining chapters of the report focus on evidence produced since the previous report in 2015. Since the previous report, heated tobacco products, so-called ‘heat-not-burn’ tobacco products, have come onto the market in the UK and the report will provide evidence on this new product type as well as on e-cigarettes. In particular, this report updates the 2015 PHE cigarettes report.
It is the fourth in a series of reports commissioned by Public Health England ( PHE) on e-cigarettes. This report has been commissioned to summarise evidence to underpin policy and regulation of e-cigarettes and vaping devices. In England, adult smoking prevalence in 2016 was 15.5% and, while it has fallen considerably over the last few decades, smoking remains the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death and one of the largest causes of health inequalities.