title: Characteristics of Air Force personnel who choose pharmacological aids for smoking cessation following an involuntary tobacco ban and tobacco control program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to compare characteristics of smokers who did and did not report use of cessation aids as part of a tobacco control program in a military setting (n = 8994).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is a longitudinal epidemiological study where the relationship between smoking status at follow-up and use of pharmacologic aids to quit smoking were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Smoking cessation, post baseline use of cessation aids to quit smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals remaining abstinent were 70% less likely to have used NRT/pharmacological aids compared to those that relapsed. NRT/pharmacological aid users were more likely to report plans to smoke after military training, to have friends who smoke, and to accept a cigarette from a friend. NRT/pharmacological aid users were more likely to believe that using NRT was safer than smoking and to have engaged in harm reduction strategies. Our findings suggest that selection bias related to such characteristics may explain some of the discrepancies between effect sizes reported in efficacy compared to effectiveness studies of NRT and smoking outcomes currently reported in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. bob.klesges@stjude.org
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Klesges
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Klesges
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Vander Weg
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: DeBon
authors.forename: Walker S Carlos
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Poston
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ebbert
authors.forename: J Taylor
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hays
authors.forename: C Keith
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Haddock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010551:Personality; D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D014481:United States