Study: Men Fare Better than Women with Nicotine Therapy

New research suggests that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is more effective for men than women, according to researchers at Texas A&M University.

For the study, researchers at the school analyzed several major smoking studies. Although they found that NRT was beneficial for men and women on a short-term basis, on a long-term basis women were more likely than men to return to smoking.

Lead study author Antonio Cepeda-Benito, an associate professor of psychology at Texas A&M who studies drug addiction and nicotine dependency and treatment, noted, "At midterm follow-up, NRT was efficacious for women if the treatment was given only in conjunction with an intensive treatment approach. At long-term follow up, men benefited and women did not benefit from NRT regardless of whether or not they received the treatment in conjunction with high or low levels of support."

Cepeda-Benito recommended that women who want to quit smoking use a combination of NRT and comprehensive smoking-cessation programs. Cepeda-Benito added that the smoking-cessation programs need to address the many variables that influence smoking behavior in women.

These variables, the researchers found, include women's greater response to the taste and hand-to-mouth sensations associated with smoking and greater expectations that smoking will enhance or facilitate social interactions, reduce negative moods and prevent weight gain.

The study's findings are published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

Source: www.jointogether.org