Effects on abstinence of nicotine patch treatment before quitting smoking: parallel, two arm, pragmatic randomised trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine the effectiveness of a nicotine patch worn for four weeks before a quit attempt.

Design

Randomised controlled open label trial.

Setting

Primary care and smoking cessation clinics in England, 2012-15.

Participants

1792 adults who were daily smokers with tobacco dependence. 899 were allocated to the preloading arm and 893 to the control arm.

Interventions

Participants were randomised 1:1, using concealed randomly permuted blocks stratified by centre, to either standard smoking cessation pharmacotherapy and behavioural support or the same treatment supplemented by four weeks of 21 mg nicotine patch use before quitting: "preloading."

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was biochemically confirmed prolonged abstinence at six

SUBMITTER: Preloading Investigators 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5998048 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature