dc.description.abstract |
This study was a randomized placebo-controlled cessation trial involving adult
smokeless tobacco users. The 100 subjects involved were recruited through local media
and all but one used moist snuff. Subjects were randomly and blindly assigned to receive
either nicotine gum (2 mg) or placebo gum (0 mg) while abstaining from smokeless
tobacco use and attending weekly group meetings that focused on behavioral skills training.
At the end of the six week intervention 45 subjects were biochemically confirmed
abstinent from tobacco; of these subjects, 20 were from the placebo condition. The quit
rate for subjects receiving active gum compared to subjects receiving placebo gum was not
significantly different. Pretreatment measures revealed no difference between groups
except for salivary cotinine (a nicotine metabolite) which was significantly higher in
subjects who received nicotine gum. After adjusting for the level of cotinine, those who
received nicotine gum reported less withdrawal symptomatology: They felt less anxious
and had fewer feelings of anger compared to the subjects who received placebo gum.
Successful quitters were older (p = .02), scored higher on tobacco addiction items
(p = .04), and reported less craving for tobacco during each week of the study. This profile of quitters suggests older smokeless tobacco users are ready to quit in spite of their
pattern of use and addiction. This research sets the stage for future cessation efforts and
highlights the need for intervention services tailored to the needs of smokeless tobacco
users. A group therapy format with some form of oral substitute appear to be key elements
of a successful cessation program. |
en_US |