EFFECTIVENESS OF NICOTINE-CONTAINING GUM IN THE PHYSICIAN-DELIVERED SMOKING INTERVENTION STUDY

Background, We tested the role of nicotine-containing gum (NCG) in con junction with brief physician counseling in smoking cessation in the P hysician-Delivered Smoking Intervention Project (PDSIP). Method Subjec ts were smokers randomized to the Counseling + NCG arm of the PDSIP. H owever, receipt and use of NCG were not randomized. Data from baseline , pharmacy records, and 6-month monitoring calls were used in these po st hoc analyses. Results. Of the 299 study subjects, 57% accepted NCG and 36% of accepters used it for more than 7 days. Predictors of NCG a cceptance included high desire to quit (OR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.10, 1.35), social support to quit (OR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.01, 2.59), being a genera l medicine patient compared with a family practice patient (OR = 3.22; 95% CI 2.01, 5.21), and receiving the intervention from a female phys ician (female physician-male patient OR = 2.27; 95% CI 0.95, 5.46; fem ale physician-female patient OR = 1.94; 95% CI 1.06, 3.57) relative to the male physician comparisons. Subjects who refilled the NCG prescri ption had higher cessation rates than those who did not refill or did not accept the prescription (37% vs 19% and 20%, respectively; P = 0.0 8). Predictors of 6-month cessation among NCG users included a previou s period(s) of abstinence >3 months (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.04, 1.47), ab stinence during illness (OR = 0.39; 95% CI 0.17, 0.86), and absence of smoking-related physical complaints the month prior to the physician- delivered intervention (OR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.17, 0.94). Conclusion. Amo unt of NCG use in conjunction with physician-delivered smoking cessati on counseling might have contributed in helping unselected smokers qui t. (C) 1998 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.