The efficacy of nicotine gum in group-centered smoking cessation therapy in a family practice.

The efficacy of nicotine gum in conjunction with group support for smoking cessation was examined. Of 388 participants enrolled in the smoking cessation program, lapse-free abstinence rates of 38 percent and 30 percent were obtained at six and 12 months follow-up, respectively. One-year abstinence rates were confirmed by the measurement of expired carbon monoxide levels. One third of claimed abstainers were randomly selected at one-year follow-up for confirmation, with a resultant 3 percent deception rate. When this deception rate was applied to the overall results, six-month and 12-month abstinence rates became 36 percent and 29 percent, respectively. These abstinence rates suggest an efficacious role for nicotine gum in association with group support.