META-ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE EFFICACY OF NICOTINE CHEWING GUM IN SMOKING TREATMENT PROGRAMS

The research on the effectiveness of nicotine gum as a treatment for s moking was reviewed through a meta-analysis of 33 studies. The differe ntial effectiveness of experimental (nicotine gum) versus control (pla cebo and no gum) groups at both short- and long-term follow-up was ind exed as d, the mean effect size. These effect sizes were contrasted wi thin each brief and intensive treatments. Nicotine gum was superior to placebo and no-gum controls at both intervals with the intensive stra tegies, but the gum was effective only at short term for the brief tre atments. Results show that the positive effects of nicotine gum in smo king treatment are a function of an interaction between the gum's phar macological properties and the effectiveness of intensive treatment st rategies. The theoretical and clinical implications of the results are discussed.