Abstract Introduction In 2024, England implemented a world-first initiative providing free vapes and behavioural support to encourage smoking cessation, focussing on groups with higher smoking prevalence. This study aimed to assess awareness of the initiative and associations with socio-demographics, smoking, vaping and past smoking cessation behaviour. Methods Representative cross-sectional surveys conducted January 2024-December 2025 of adults (aged 16+) who currently smoked or had stopped in the last year in England (N=6,950). Associations between awareness and gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic position (occupational social grade), region, smoking status, urges to smoke, vaping status, survey time were assessed using weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals and multivariable logistic regressions. Multivariable logistic regressions assessed associations with past-year cessation attempts and support used. Post-hoc country comparisons using October-December 2025 included Scotland and Wales (n=153). Results Overall, 24.1% (95% CI: 23.0%-25.2%) were aware of the initiative. Awareness was lower among people aged 45-54 adjusted OR=0.78 (0.64–0.97) than among people aged 25 and among Asian, Black, Mixed/Other compared with white ethnicities adjOR=0.82 (0.70–0.96). Awareness was higher among people reporting slight adjOR=1.22 (1.02-1.46) or moderate adjOR=1.27 (1.08-1.50 urges than among those reporting no urges to smoke. Awareness was associated with having used vapes during the last cessation attempt adjOR=1.40 (1.09-1.81); other characteristics were not significantly associated. Conclusions About a quarter of people in England who smoked in the past year were aware of a new smoking cessation initiative and awareness was linked with use of vapes for cessation but not higher among socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Implications To reach smoke-free goals, increased smoking cessation is needed; a unique initiative made free vapes and support available to people in England who smoke. While a quarter of the target population had heard about the initiative, coordinated communications may have increased awareness among less advantaged groups with higher smoking prevalence to further improve impact on inequalities.
Brose et al. (Wed,) studied this question.