According to study results published January 9, 2012 in an advance online edition of Tobacco Control
, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and UMass Boston have found that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) appears to have a relapse rate of about one-third for ex-smokers who use them.
All of? the? 787 participants in the study were adult smokers who had recently quit.?? They were surveyed? on three occasions -- 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006 about whether they had used NRTs (including the patch, gum, inhaler and nasal spray) to quit smoking, and if yes, what the longest period of time was that they'd used the product.? They were also asked whether they had sought professional help from a doctor, counselor or program? to Quit Smoking.
For each time period surveyed,? close to one-third of recent quitters had relapsed.? Study authors Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH and? Lois Biener of UMass Boston's Center for Survey Research? found there to be no difference in relapse rates if the people had been heavy or light smokers, or used NRTs for more than six weeks,? with or without counseling.
"This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long-term than trying to quit on one's own," Alpert said. He added that even though clinical trials (studies) have found NRT to be effective, the new findings demonstrate the importance of empirical studies regarding effectiveness when used in the general population.
Researchers pointed out that NRTs are not a "magic pill" for success, suggesting that increasing cigarette taxes might be more effective as an incentive to quit.? They also think? policymakers should consider shifting focus away from providing funding for NRTs and put the money into anti-smoking campaigns.
HSPH Press Release
Are NRTs an Effective Quit Aid?
Before you abandon NRTs if you're using them, or cross them off the list of potential quit aids if you haven't stopped smoking yet,? remember that quit aids are just that - aids/helpers.
With a well-rounded quit program that includes education and support, any of them have the ability to help us succeed,? NRTs included.
We are fortunate to live in a time when there are so many choices available to help us quit smoking, because just as no two people are alike, neither are their quit programs.? Where cold turkey might work well for one person, NRTs are the answer for another.
Human life is being extinguished due to tobacco use at the rate of one precious and irreplaceable soul every 8 seconds somewhere on the planet, day in and day out.? If NRTs help one-third of those who use them to quit smoking for the long-term, how can that be anything but a plus?
Product May Help You :
Quit Smoking Disadvantages
Quit Smoking Disadvantages
, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and UMass Boston have found that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) appears to have a relapse rate of about one-third for ex-smokers who use them.
All of? the? 787 participants in the study were adult smokers who had recently quit.?? They were surveyed? on three occasions -- 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006 about whether they had used NRTs (including the patch, gum, inhaler and nasal spray) to quit smoking, and if yes, what the longest period of time was that they'd used the product.? They were also asked whether they had sought professional help from a doctor, counselor or program? to Quit Smoking.
For each time period surveyed,? close to one-third of recent quitters had relapsed.? Study authors Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH and? Lois Biener of UMass Boston's Center for Survey Research? found there to be no difference in relapse rates if the people had been heavy or light smokers, or used NRTs for more than six weeks,? with or without counseling.
"This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long-term than trying to quit on one's own," Alpert said. He added that even though clinical trials (studies) have found NRT to be effective, the new findings demonstrate the importance of empirical studies regarding effectiveness when used in the general population.
Researchers pointed out that NRTs are not a "magic pill" for success, suggesting that increasing cigarette taxes might be more effective as an incentive to quit.? They also think? policymakers should consider shifting focus away from providing funding for NRTs and put the money into anti-smoking campaigns.
HSPH Press Release
Are NRTs an Effective Quit Aid?
Before you abandon NRTs if you're using them, or cross them off the list of potential quit aids if you haven't stopped smoking yet,? remember that quit aids are just that - aids/helpers.
With a well-rounded quit program that includes education and support, any of them have the ability to help us succeed,? NRTs included.
We are fortunate to live in a time when there are so many choices available to help us quit smoking, because just as no two people are alike, neither are their quit programs.? Where cold turkey might work well for one person, NRTs are the answer for another.
Human life is being extinguished due to tobacco use at the rate of one precious and irreplaceable soul every 8 seconds somewhere on the planet, day in and day out.? If NRTs help one-third of those who use them to quit smoking for the long-term, how can that be anything but a plus?
Product May Help You :
Quit Smoking Disadvantages
Quit Smoking Disadvantages
