[Smoking addiction treatment, with nicotine chewing gum, in primary care. Double-blind study]

Abstract

Basis: Study of the efficacy of nicotine chewing gum in the treatment of smoking addiction in primary health care.

Methods: Three interventions groups are compared. Active group (37): treated with group psychotherapy and nicotine chewing gum; Placebo group (38): Treated exactly as first group, but with placebo chewing gum, and Outpatient Group (31): Individual psychotherapy in an outpatient basis, with nicotine chewing gum.

Results: Comparison of results, one year after intervention, between active group (35.1% success) and placebo group (13.2% success) showed the existence of statistically significant differences (p < 0.03). Outpatient group yielded 25.8% success rate, without finding any statistically significant differences in comparison with the active group.

Conclusions: Nicotine chewing gum can be an effective support in the treatment of smoking addiction, in primary health care, in certain smokers, assuming that this treatment is accompanied with individual or group psychotherapy follow up, which reinforces the behavior and prevents relapses.