A Comparison of Quit Outcomes for Men and Women in a Smoking Cessation Program Offering Personalized Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Counseling in Primary Care Clinics

Abstract

Women may have greater difficulty achieving long-term abstinence following a quit attempt compared to men. We sought to determine whether there were differences in treatment characteristics or outcome between female and male primary care patients enrolled in a smoking cessation program providing personalized nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with counselling support. The sample included 27,601 Ontarians (53% female, 47% male) who enrolled in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients program between 2016 and 2018. Dose, type, and duration of NRT supplied was personalized to need. Thirty-day point prevalence tobacco smoking abstinence was self-reported via online or telephone survey at 6 months post-enrollment. Both female and male participants received a median of 8 weeks of NRT. Types of NRT received were similar, with 80% of both female and male participants receiving patch and short-acting NRT. Total cumulative dose was somewhat higher for men (1373mg vs. 1265mg, p<0.001); but when calculated as dose per day, per cigarette smoked at baseline, dose was slightly higher among women (1.6mg vs. 1.5mg, p<0.001). Quit rates at 6 months were lower for women versus men (24% vs. 27%; AOR = 0.84 [95% CI = 0.78-0.90], p<0.001). There were no significant interactions between gender and dose, type or duration of NRT supplied. Women were slightly less likely to quit than men, despite receiving similar treatment. There was no evidence that women benefitted more or less from variations in dose, type or duration of NRT supply.