BRIEF REPORT

Is Swedish snus associated with smoking initiation or smoking cessation?

H Furberg¹, C M Bulik², C Lerman³, P Lichtenstein⁴, N L Pedersen^4, and P F Sullivan^1,*

¹ Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
² Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
³ Department of Psychiatry, Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
⁴ Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Patrick F Sullivan
Department of Genetics, CB#7264, 4109D Neurosciences Research Building, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7264, USA; pfsulliv{at}med.unc.edu

Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are an effective treatment for tobacco dependence, yet most smokers do not quit or remain abstinent. We investigated whether Swedish snus (snuff) use was associated with smoking cessation among males participating in a large population based twin study in Sweden. Snus use was associated with smoking cessation but not initiation. Given that snus delivers comparable nicotine concentrations but carries lesser cancer risk than cigarettes, snus may be a widely used, non-medical form of NRT. Evaluation of the efficacy of snus for smoking cessation should be evaluated in randomised clinical trials.

Abbreviations: FTND, Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence; NRT, nicotine replacement therapy; SALT, screening across lifespan twin study

Keywords: nicotine replacement therapy; snus; smoking cessation

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Funding Source

Simon Chapman

Tobacco Control Online, 23 Dec 2005 [Full text]