Homeless people offered free e-cigarettes in trial

Homeless people are being offered free e-cigarette starter packs in a trial aimed at helping them quit smoking.

Homeless centres in five parts of the UK including London, Scotland and Wales will provide 480 contributors with starter kits or care group sessions.

About 70% of homeless people smoke tobacco, research from University of East Anglia (UEA) showed.

The study will assess if e-cigarettes help participants quit smoking and whether it offers them value for money.

Half of the contributors will be offered the e-cigarettes, while the other 240 people will be allocated to a care group.

'More helpful'

The project is being led by London South Bank University (LSBU) and University College London.

Prof Lynne Dawkins from LSBU said that in an earlier trial, the kits "worked well" and staff at homeless centres were able to support the study.

The £1.7m project has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is in collaboration with UEA, Kings College London, Queen Mary University of London, the University of York, Cardiff University, the University of Stirling and the University of Edinburgh.

Prof Caitlin Notley from UEA said studies suggested e-cigarettes were "more helpful" than nicotine gum or patches when people tried to stop smoking.

"If we find that providing free e-cigarette starter kits helps people to quit, homeless centres could decide to adopt this approach in future, to help reduce the impact of smoking-related diseases on the homeless," she said.