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Smoking cessation among inner-city African Americans unsing the nicotine transdermal patch

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of the transdermal nicotine patch for smoking cessation in inner-city African Americans.

DESIGN: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

SETTING: Outpatient in an inner-city hospital.

PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: A computer-generated random numbers table with a block size set at 20 was used to randomize 410 patients to one of two study arms.

INTERVENTIONS: The transdermal nicotine patch for 10 weeks as an adjunct to brief counseling.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 410 patients randomized, mean age was 48 years, 65% were female, 41% had less than a high school education, 51% had an annual household income of less than $8,000, and the average number of cigarettes smoked per day was 20. Quit rates at 10 weeks were 21.5% (44/205) with the nicotine patch, and 13.7% (28/205) with the placebo patch (p=.03). At 6 months, quit rates were 17.1% (35/205) with the nicotine patch, and 11.7% (24/205) with the placebo patch (p=.08). After adjusting for baseline differences in age and educational attainment, differences remained significant at 10 weeks (p=.04), but were not significant at 6 months (p=.14). Compliance rates for return visits were 83%, 78%, 55%, and 52%, at 1, 2, 6, and 10 weeks, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The nicotine patch significantly improves short-term quit rates in inner-city African Americans who are interested in trying to quit smoking. Efforts should be made to reach underserved populations through smoking cessation programs, and to assist in maintaining abstinence.

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Supported by an American Cancer Society Career Development Award to Dr. Ahluwalia, an unrestricted grant from Marion Merrell Dow, Inc., and the Emory Medical Care Foundation.

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Ahluwalia, J.S., Mcnagny, S.E. & Clark, W.S. Smoking cessation among inner-city African Americans unsing the nicotine transdermal patch. J GEN INTERN MED 13, 1–8 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1998.00001.x

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