Study Characteristics Influence the Efficacy of Substance Abuse Treatments: A Meta-analysis of Medications for Smoking Cessation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding study characteristics' influence on treatment efficacy could improve interpretation of trials' outcomes. We examined study characteristics as predictors of outcomes in clinical trials of medications for tobacco use.

Methods

We obtained and analyzed data on 44 trials of nicotine gum, 37 trials of nicotine patch, 27 trials of varenicline, and 43 trials of bupropion from Cochrane reviews. We extracted and analyzed data for 15 study characteristics, odds ratios (ORs), and percent abstinent in control and medication conditions. We used general linear models to determine which study characteristics explained the variability among outcomes after controlling for medication characteristics.

Results

Study characteristics accounted for 12% of the varianc

SUBMITTER: Klemperer EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7297102 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature