Schell Christina, Godinho Alexandra, Chaiton Michael, Leatherdale Scott T, Cunningham John A
Institute for Mental Health and Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Humber River Health, Toronto, Canada.
Tob Prev Cessat. 2025 Jan 24;11. doi: 10.18332/tpc/197456. eCollection 2025.
Rural regions generally report higher smoking rates than urban centers, which increases the risk of tobacco related harms and consequences, and makes promoting smoking cessation in these areas a priority. Mass distribution of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) by postal mail has been found to increase the odds of successful cessation attempts. Understanding factors that contribute to the use of NRT could help maximize this intervention's effectiveness.
People who smoke cigarettes and live in rural areas of Canada were recruited from December 2020 to February 2022 using random digit telephone dialing. Participants were either randomized to be mailed a free, 5-week supply of NRT patches (experimental condition; n=252) or not (control condition; n=246). This secondary analysis used data from this randomized controlled trial to conduct an ordinal regression to determine if any variables measured at baseline predicted which participants in the experimental condition used none, some, or all of the NRT patches.
Greater confidence in ability to quit (AOR=1.07; 95% CI: 1.00-1.15) independently predicted more patch use, while living in more remote places (AOR=0.25; 95% CI: 0.07-0.90) and past substance use (compared to having no history) (AOR=0.68; 95% CI: 0.45-1.04) independently predicted less use.
Understanding what contributes to NRT use in rural mass distribution programs could help maximize the odds of successful cessation attempts, personalize treatment recommendations, and target limited rural resources. Future research focused on rural NRT use and smoking cessation is merited.
农村地区的吸烟率普遍高于城市中心，这增加了烟草相关危害和后果的风险，因此在这些地区促进戒烟成为一项优先任务。通过邮政邮件大规模分发尼古丁替代疗法（NRT）已被发现可提高成功戒烟尝试的几率。了解有助于使用NRT的因素有助于最大限度地提高这种干预措施的效果。
2020年12月至2022年2月，通过随机数字电话拨号从居住在加拿大农村地区的吸烟者中招募参与者。参与者被随机分为两组，一组通过邮寄获得为期5周的免费NRT贴片（实验组；n = 252），另一组则没有（对照组；n = 246）。这项二次分析使用了该随机对照试验的数据进行有序回归，以确定在基线测量的任何变量是否能预测实验组中哪些参与者未使用、部分使用或全部使用了NRT贴片。
对戒烟能力的信心更强（优势比[AOR]=1.07；95%置信区间[CI]：1.00 - 1.15）独立预测了更多的贴片使用，而居住在更偏远地区（AOR = 0.25；95% CI：0.07 - 0.90）和过去有药物使用史（与无病史相比）（AOR = 0.68；95% CI：0.45 - 1.04）独立预测了更少的使用。
了解农村大规模分发项目中NRT使用的影响因素有助于最大限度地提高成功戒烟尝试的几率，使治疗建议个性化，并针对有限的农村资源。值得开展未来聚焦于农村NRT使用和戒烟的研究。
