Gazette
masthead
   About The Gazette Search Back Issues Contact Us    
The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University January 10, 2005 | Vol. 34 No. 17
 
Free Nicotine Patches Increase Short-Term Smoking Quit Rates

By Tim Parsons
School of Public Health

Distributing free nicotine patches increased participation in a Maryland smoking cessation program and helped 27 percent more people stop smoking during the first six months after quitting, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Washington County (Maryland) Health Department. However, the study authors found that long-term quit rates were not affected by giving away patches at the beginning of the cessation program. The study is published in the December issue of Addictive Behaviors.

"Nicotine replacement therapy has really changed tobacco control efforts in a good way. It is clear that if smokers use nicotine replacement therapy longer, they have a better success rate," said Anthony J. Alberg, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Epidemiology.

The researchers completed the study from 1995 to 2003 at the George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention in Washington County. They compared quit rates and abstinence from smoking before and after free nicotine patches were offered to smokers who participated in the Stop Smoking for Life program. During the program, study participants received six weeks of patches and four weeks of group counseling, free of charge.

The Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund Program financed the nicotine patches used in the study. After the researchers gave away the patches, they saw a 37 percent increase in involvement in the smoking cessation program, indicating free patches attracted more people looking to stop smoking. They also reported a 27 percent increase in short-term quit rates.

Alberg said that the ideal cessation program includes attending a counseling program, in addition to using pharmacotherapy products such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum. He also said that it is a good idea for those looking to quit smoking to discuss the best methods with their doctor, who also can prescribe non-nicotine-based drugs to help cessation attempts.

"We know that no matter how long smokers have smoked, when they quit, it prolongs their lives. The message we'd like to get to people is that if smokers have thought of quitting, it is definitely worth trying," Alberg said. "The good news from our study is that offering free nicotine replacement patches attracts more participants to cessation programs and increases short-term quit rates, which are steps in the right direction."

The study authors were supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Bloomberg School co-authors include Ruth Stashefsky Margalit, Alyce Burke and Sandra C. Hoffman. Co-authors from the Washington County Health Department are Kimberly A. Rasch, Nell Stewart, Jo Ann Kline, Paula A. Ernst and Amy Avey.

GO TO JANUARY 10, 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GO TO THE GAZETTE FRONT PAGE.


The Gazette | The Johns Hopkins University | Suite 540 | 901 S. Bond St. | Baltimore, MD 21231 | 443-287-9900 | gazette@jhu.edu