Cost Effectiveness for Smoking Cessation - Assignment Example

Company Analysis June Cost Effectiveness for Smoking Cessation It is necessary to stress that practically every person is tryingto give up some bad habit. Someone is struggling against drugs or alcohol. Someone wants to give up smoking. According to the latest information, approximately forty percent of all people living on our planet smoke permanently. The majority of them is eager to give up this harmful habit but do not know how to do this. One of the methods to forget about nicotine and its influence upon human organism is resorting to the use of electronic cigarettes. This relatively new (it was invented in China, 2003) device fully reproduces the process of smoking. Moreover, it is not harmful and helps to give up a bad habit. Although smoking cessation by means of electronic cigarettes seems to be a good method, a lot of people do not want to try this. It happens because there is a myth that these cigarettes are too expensive and it is better to buy something else in this case. This statement does not face real situation. That is why it is necessary to investigate the cost effectiveness and peculiarities of electronic cigarettes. The research concerning the problem under analysis was conducted by means of the following methods: 1) An anonymous Internet-based and cross-sectional survey. It took place among the first-time purchasers of electronic cigarettes. 2) Interviewing of people who smoke 3) The systematization and analysis of the information received in the process of investigation. 4) Anonymous interrogation. As for the results of my research, there happened to be more men than women in the study. Thus, there were 71.5 percent of men and 28.5 percent of women. The majority of people asked had been smoking for six or even more years. The first group composed approximately 81.1 percent. It should be noted that a lot of people participating in the investigation tried to give up smoking several times (64.7 percent), but nothing helped them and there seemed to be no way out of this situation. Below are the details concerning demographic information, smoking characteristics and reduction of tobacco use after electronic cigarette use. Table 1. Demographic Information Variable N (%) Gender of the participants Male 153 (71.5) Female 61 (28.5) Age of the participants 19-24 41 (19.1) 24-44 114 (53) 45-64 48 (22.2) Over than 65 12 (5.7) Table 2. Smoking Characteristics Variable N (%) Years smoked or smoking history Less than 5 32 (14.8) 5-15 77 (35.5) 16-30 67 (30.9) More than 30 41 (18.8) The number of previous attempts to quit 0 16 (7.8) 1-2 59 (27.3) 3-5 90 (42) More than 5 59 (22.8) Table 3. Cessation or Reduction of Tobacco Use after Electronic Cigarettes use Variable N (%) Reported reducing nicotine use Yes 106 (49.2) No 109 (51) Reduced amount of tobacco cigarettes per day after electronic cigarette use Yes 143 (66.7) No 71 (33.1) Quit or abstained for a period of time Yes 105 (48.9) No 109 (52) It is seen from the tables listed above that more than the half of the participants (about two thirds) noticed positive results after the use of electronic cigarettes. They noted that the desire to smoke was decreased by means of this device. These people started smoking nicotine cigarettes more rarely than usual. Approximately the half of the participants stated that they had given up smoking for a short period of time after buying electronic cigarettes. It should be stressed that more than thirty percent of respondents were not smoking at the six-month point. The relation of electronic cigarettes to six-month smoking status is demonstrated in the table below. Table 4. The Relation of Electronic Cigarettes to Six-Month Smoking Status Use Pattern % of not smoking respondents Total. Smoking status at six-month point (n=217) 31 (24.8, 37.3) The number of times applied per day No current electronic cigarette dose (n=98) 26.7 (17.9, 35.7) Less than 5(n=50) 28.0 (15.4, 40.6) 5-10 (n=31) 35.5 (18.3, 52.7) 11-15 (n=16) 31.3 (6.2, 60.4) 16-20 (n=12) 33.2 (6.3, 60.4) More than 20 (n=10) 70.1 (41.2, 98.8) Weekly pattern of electronic cigarette smokers No current electronic cigarette use (n=98) 26.8 (17.8, 35.7) The uses in some days (n=71) 21.1 (11.6, 30.9) Everyday use (n=49) 54.3 (39.8, 68.5) The use of nicotine by those who are not smoking at six-month point (n=67) (n [%]) Nicotine-free people 24 (34.3) Respondents using tobacco-free nicotine products 6 (9.1) Respondents using only electronic cigarettes 38 (56.8) It is necessary to stress that electronic cigarettes really help to give up smoking or at least reduce an amount of nicotine appearing in smoker’s organism. When the question of the influence of electronic cigarettes upon human health is answered, another about cost effectiveness is asked. Is it expensive to try to give up smoking by means of electronic cigarettes? It turns out that “yes.” There are several arguments proving this point of view. First of all, it should be noted that the prices of traditional cigarettes are getting higher and higher. That is why the use of electronic ones may become a good opportunity to save money and lessen harmful effect of tobacco or nicotine on human organism. At first glance it is difficult to understand this because the price of electronic cigarettes is approximately between seventy and two hundred dollars. So, the majority of people are sure that the investment in electronic cigarettes is not a profitable action. Nevertheless, the companies producing electronic cigarettes do not share this point of view and even try to oppose it. According to their words, math and its numbers speak for themselves. The investment in such cigarettes is not so large if a person used to pay about five dollars per pack of traditional cigarettes. It turns out that it is cheaper to use electronic cigarettes with their cartridges if a person expects the long term investment of electronic cigarettes. It is known that electronic cigarette cartridges should be changed after some period of their use. They cost about six dollars per pack of five. The companies producing electronic cigarettes proved that two hundred of traditional cigarettes are compared only with the same amount of cartridges worth only twenty-six dollars. So, it turns out that there is a high level of cost-effectiveness in the use of electronic cigarettes. However, there is still one important negative moment. What to do if a smoker does not think that he/she will be smoking for a long period of time? In this case it is rather expensive to try an electronic cigarette. A smoker has to look for some other cessation technology. The cost paid for electronic cigarette is explained by a number of components that are included into this device. Such a cigarette consists of the following components: Body Microprocessor Executive mechanism Special sensor Changeable cartridge Accumulator Charger The attitude towards electronic cigarettes is different. This was proved by the research conducted in this field. There are people who are sure that it is impossible to give up smoking by means of electronic cigarettes. These respondents state that this type of cigarettes was created just to make money. So, they cannot help. There is even a point of view that there is some amount of nicotine in an electronic cigarette. That is why there seems to be no difference between a traditional and electronic cigarette. However, the latter is more expensive. Experts are sure that the smokers who have bought an electronic cigarette will never give up their bad habit. This may be explained by means of several arguments. It is logical that a smoker of traditional cigarettes is able to smoke everywhere he/she wants. He/she does not depend on time or anything else. However, when a person tries to change a traditional cigarette to an electronic, this alternative cannot be used for a long period of time. It is necessary to change cartridges and charge an electronic device. What can a smoker do if he/she has no opportunity to charge a cigarette? He/she goes to the shop in the vicinity of his/her office or home and buys a traditional cigarette with nicotine. So, there seems to be no use of buying an electronic cigarette from this point of view. Those people who support the usage of electronic cigarettes are sure that they are not harmful for human health and have a lot of advantages. The most important of them are listed below: 1) An electronic cigarette has a light weight and is designed so that it fully imitates a traditional cigarette 2) The absence of fire and smoke gives an opportunity to use this cigarette in any place you like. It is possible to smoke it even in a plane. 3) A smoker is able to regulate an amount of nicotine in his/her cigarette. It is possible to lessen the dose whenever a person wants. 4) A smoker’s money is economized. It is known that one cartridge for an electronic cigarette is applied for about 100-200 inhaling. It is much cheaper than the usage of a traditional cigarette. 5) An electronic cigarette does not contain different harmful pitches that are very dangerous. 6) Electronic cigarettes are not so harmful for people who do not like to see someone smoking around them. 7) A smoker of an electronic cigarette does not have such unpleasant things as cough and various lung diseases. 8) A smoker does not have to use matches or any other accessory to smoke an electronic cigarette. 9) It is possible to apply some tasty additive to add pleasure to the process of smoking 10) An electronic cigarette fully imitates smoking of a traditional cigarette. It happens due to a special indicator that gives a visual effect of smoldering. 11) There is no incrustation on a smoker’s teeth and skin. 12) There is no smoke that is absorbed by hair and skin. It is necessary to emphasize that the use of electronic cigarette is not the best way to give up smoking. Its cost-effectiveness is not very high, but still there is no person that has managed to give up smoking by means of an electronic cigarette. This device just minimizes the negative influence of smoking upon human organism, but does not reach the major goal of all smoking cessation technologies. It is necessary to stress that an electronic cigarette seems to be just an alternative to traditional smoking. All people participated in the research concerning the problem under analysis stayed satisfied with the use of an electronic cigarette. They stated that it is cheaper to apply this device and change cartridges than to buy a traditional cigarette. Unfortunately, it is so only if a person is sure that he/she will be applying electronic cigarettes for a long period of time. Otherwise, there is no profit and use in smoking cessation by means of electronic cigarettes. 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