Smoking Cessation Study Involving a Transdermal Nicotine Patch

Summary

This study set out to compare and evaluate the efficacy, over a 6-month period, of smoking cessation programmes involving transdermal nicotine patches in two different Australian settings: a workplace programme and a general medical practice programme.

Other objectives were: (a) to compare the success of smokers of high versus low nicotine dependence; (b) to assess whether early morning craving is more severe than cravings at other times of the day during treatment; and (c) to monitor adverse events experienced throughout the nicotine treatment phase.

The study was an open uncontrolled multicentre trial, that took place in: (a) 15 general practices in the Queensland Gold Coast region; and (b) workplace settings within the Victorian branch of the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Heidelberg, Victoria.

The participants included: (a) general practice setting: 121 participants recruited from the general practitioners’ patient pool in the Gold Coast region; (b) workplace setting: 85 participants recruited from employees, and their partners.

Continuous abstinence [defined as the participant attending each session, reporting abstinence at each session, and having a carbon monoxide (CO) concentration of ≤ 8 ppm at each session] was achieved in 21% of participants at 3 months, falling to 17% at 6 months, in the general practice programme, and 28% of participants at 3 months, falling to 22% at 6 months, in the workplace programme. Point abstinence (defined as reporting abstinence at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups and having a CO of ≤ 8 ppm) was achieved in 32% (at 3 months) and 27% (at 6 months) of participants in the general practice programme and in 44% of participants (at 3 months) and 33% (at 6 months) in the workplace programme. On a 5-point scale of severity (0 to 4), cravings and other withdrawal symptoms were reported as slight (1) to mild (2) on average in the first week of the study and declined throughout the study period. During the waking hours, cigarette craving was reported to be lowest in the morning. Transdermal nicotine therapy was well tolerated.