The Veritas Cohort Study
You have reached the web page of the VERITAS cohort study which is currently on hold. However, the project will restart in the near future, first as a pilot project entirely conducted online and adapted to the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, afterwards (and depending on the outcomes) as a fully fledged cohort study.
What is the purpose of the VERITAS study?
Most vapers are former smokers, who may have lingering health effects from smoking, making it very difficult to assess whether vaping itself causes any harms. Figuring this out is important to vapers and people who might start vaping, as well as for informing policy. If there is no detectable risk, it would be useful to demonstrate that. If there is a risk, it would be useful to discover it so vapers and possible future vapers can make a properly informed decision about whether to vape.
To answer this question, we are starting a six-year study of vapers who have not smoked or have smoked only a little (less than about a thousand cigarettes total and have not smoked regualrly in the last two years).
How will the VERITAS study be conducted?
Once the pilot study is set in motion, we would like to recruit vapers who have, either never smoked, or with limited smoking history, for an ongoing health effects study.
We aim at undertaking a fully online multi-site international study, with coordinators (“ambassadors”) located in various regions and countries: USA, Canada, UK, the European Union, Australia, NZ, Middle East, Latin America and Africa.
We will require that study subjects periodically answer surveys and fill a detailed questionnaire on their vaping habits, type of vaping device and e-liquids. This can be, by far, the most substantial study of the health effects of vaping (in the absence of smoking), and will provide invaluable information for vapers, smokers, and policy makers.
This study is run by an established scientist with a history of influential research and support for vapers and tobacco harm reduction, Prof. Riccardo Polosa, directing a team of harm reduction experts.
What can you do?
If you might be interested in participating, or want to learn more, please contact us. If you know of a potential participant somewhere else, please ask [him/her] to contact us.
We cannot do this important study without you.