Smoking cessation rates 4 years after treatment by nicotine gum and acupuncture

Background This study was done to estimate the smoking cessation rates 4 years after treatment with acupuncture and nicotine gum. Methods. Participants were randomized in a 2 x 2 factorial design to four groups: double active treatments (nicotine gum and acupuncture), double placebo, and the combination of one active treatment and placebo. Results. The success rates were quite similar in the four groups at the different points of follow-up. They sharply decreased between 1 month (around 23%) and 1 year (around 10%). The decrease slowed down thereafter to around 6% at 4 years. Conclusion. Results from our study suggest that the two treatments did not offer any long-term improvement over placebo. Additional investigations are necessary to estimate the magnitude of their long-term success rate. (C) 1997 Academic Press.