[A study of various smoking cessation programs based on close to 1000 volunteers recruited from the general...

The harmful effect of tobacco on health is well known. To help smokers to stop smoking, a study was designed in 1987 to assess the efficacy of two treatments and the advantage of combining them. The treatments, nicotine chewing gum and acupuncture, were randomly allocated. The 996 subjects required are now included. The characteristics of the participants, the number of nicotine gums used as well as the need for a cigarette are described. Cessation rates in the four groups, one month after the beginning of the treatment, differed significantly (p less than 5%). The efficacy of acupuncture was not shown (abstinence rates of 22 and 23% for the active and placebo groups respectively), whereas the efficacy of nicotine gum was (26 and 19% for the active and placebo groups respectively). The interest of the association of the two treatments was not observed.