This is one of the conclusions of a study published in the journal BMJ Open on the use of electronic cigarettes in Barcelona. It is the first article on the situation in Barcelona that has estimated the prevalence of the use of e-cigarettes with and without nicotine, the level of satisfaction with their use and where e-cigarettes are bought.

The article indicates that 6.5% of the adult population in the city of Barcelona (about 83,000 people) have used e-cigarettes at any time in the past. However, only 60% of them smoke e-cigarettes with nicotine. Moreover, the most common establishments where they acquire e-cigarettes are specialized shops (70%).

The study was led by Dr. José M. Martínez-Sánchez, the head of the Area of Biostatistics at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) and an epidemiologist in the Smoking Control Unit at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO). Researchers from the ICO and UIC worked with investigators from the Universities of Harvard and Northeastern.

“The high percentage of the "double use" of electronic cigarettes and regular cigarettes and the low level of satisfaction with their use compromises the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes to help people quit smoking", said Dr. Martínez-Sánchez, the principal investigator in the study.

The publication of the article coincides with a report published recently by the World Health Organization (WHO) that recommends legislating the use of electronic cigarettes in all public places and workplaces. In March 2014, the Spanish government passed regulations on the use of these devices in hospitals, educational centres and public administration offices. However, bars, restaurants and other closed public places were excluded from the law and the WHO now recommends including them. The ICO and the UIC were pioneers in regulating the use of e-cigarettes at their facilities in 2013.