The use of snus for quitting smoking compared with medicinal products.
BACKGROUND
Given there are few experimental studies comparing the effects of snus and medicinal products for quitting smoking, self-reports from smokers who have used different methods for quitting smoking can be informative.


METHODS
Fourteen thousand seven hundred and forty-four Norwegian men aged between 20 and 50 years were selected at random from a national representative web panel and sent a questionnaire by E-mail. Of the 7,170 (48.6%) who responded, there were 1,775 former and 1,808 current smokers. They were asked about the method they used and the outcome of their last attempt to quit smoking.


RESULTS
In a regression model in which education, number of previous attempts to quit smoking, perception of risk, and age were controlled for, the odds ratio (OR) for reporting total abstinence at the time of the survey was significantly higher for those who had used varenicline (OR = 4.95, p < .006) and snus (OR = 2.68, p < .001) compared with those who had used nicotine chewing gum (reference OR = 1). For smokers who reported that they had tried to quit with the help of snus, 62.4% reported that they still used snus at the time of the survey either daily (43.8%) or occasionally (18.6%). The proportion who still used medicinal nicotine products at the time of the survey was 9.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with medicinal nicotine products, snus and varenicline increased the probability of quitting smoking completely, but snus seemed to maintain nicotine dependence.
Lund
Karl Erik
KE
Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo, Norway. kel@sirus.no
McNeill
Ann
A
Scheffels
Janne
J
D000328:Adult; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002638:Chewing Gum; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless; D000068580:Varenicline
D001552:Benzazepines; D002638:Chewing Gum; D011810:Quinoxalines; D009538:Nicotine; D000068580:Varenicline