Abstract
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is becoming increasing popular among smokers, and there is a plethora of devices available. Nicotine delivery is clearly important for reducing tobacco craving and withdrawal symptoms, but other sensorimotor aspects of e-cigarettes (such as visual appearance) may contribute to this effect. This study explored whether it is important for an e-cigarette to visually resemble a tobacco cigarette in order to reduce craving and withdrawal symptoms. Sixty-three cigarette smokers (40% female, aged 18-65 years) who were not current e-cigarette users were randomly allocated to take ten 3-s puffs from either a white or a red first-generation e-cigarette following overnight abstinence. Current craving (urge to smoke) and nicotine withdrawal symptoms (using the Mood and Physical Symptoms Scale [MPSS]) were measured before and 10 min after use. Linear regression revealed higher craving and withdrawal symptoms in the red condition versus the white condition, but only among those who were e-cigarette naive (craving: B = .76, p = .009; withdrawal symptoms: B = 2.18, p = .009), not among those with e-cigarette experience (craving: B =-.08, p = .89; withdrawal symptoms: B = .24, p = .81), and these effects differed between groups (p = .04 and 0.01 for craving and withdrawal symptoms, respectively). In conclusion, cigarette-like appearance was associated with lower craving and withdrawal symptoms, but only for those with no prior e-cigarette experience. This effect, putatively mediated via classical conditioning or expectancies, may aid understanding of smokers' initial preferences for "cigalike" e-cigarette devices.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 101-105 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Psychology of Addictive Behaviors |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 American Psychological Association.
Funding
No funding was provided for this study, although thanks are due to E-Lites for supplying the e-cigarettes. The company had no involvement in the design, conduct, or write-up of the study. Lynne Dawkins has conducted research for electronic cigarette companies for which the University of East London has received funding. Marcus Munafò is a member of the United Kingdom Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, a United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research United Kingdom, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Medical Research Council, and the National Institute for Health Research, under the auspices of the United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. All other authors declare no conflict of interest. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lynne Dawkins, University of East London, Stratford Campus, Water Lane, Stratford, London, E15 4NO UK
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- craving
- Electronic cigarettes
- sensorimotor aspects
- visual appearance
- withdrawal symptoms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
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