MULTICENTER STUDY OF SMOKING CESSATION WITH NICOTINE CHEWING GUM IN HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS

BACKGROUND: The health professionals have a leading role in the reduction of the smoking prevalence. Spain has one of the big rate of <<per capita>> tobacco consumption in the world, and the Spanish doctors have the biggest prevalence of smokers among their colleagues from the EEC countries. METHODS: The effectiveness of a stop smoking programme in health care professionals was evaluated. This programme combined group therapy, nicotine chewing gum and behavioural assistance through the evaluation of CO contained in expired breath; and it is being applied with good results between the smokers of general population in Spain. A total of 211 voluntary smokers working in Spanish six general hospitals were treated, from those 149 (71 %) were physicians and nurses (PS) and 62 (29 %) others professionals without sanitary responsibilities (PNA). RESULTS: At one year follow-up, 64 (30 %) were not smoking, and the P.S. had a higher rate of give up than the PNA (p < 0.05). Specifically the women of P.S obtained a greater issue than the women of PNA (p < 0.05). Both, nicotine chewing gum and behavioural assistance were as effective as usual in smoking cessation programme like this, in our country. CONCLUSIONS: Although the outcome is lower than the obtained with the same approaches in smokers from general population, the better results of the PS than the PNA imply a good change of attitude of them. Specially the women PS obtained a big success, and this is outstanding in this group with a great prevalence of smokers, increasing in the recent years. The subjects who give up smoking increased their corporal weight less than the observed in smokers of the general population, who also give up with this treatment.