title: Comparative Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Medications to Attenuate Weight Gain Following Cessation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the postcessation weight gain following the use of different FDA-approved smoking cessation medications among obese smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the General Electric (GE) electronic medical record database (2006-2011). The cohort consisted of obese adult smokers newly initiating use of an FDA-approved smoking cessation medication (i.e., bupropion vs. varenicline). The outcome variable was weight change at 3, 6, or 12 months following the first prescription. Descriptive analyses and t-tests were conducted to assess the frequency distribution of sample characteristics and their association with the postcessation weight change. Multivariate linear regression models were carried out to compare the weight change among the FDA-approved smoking cessation medications and to identify predictors of weight change at 3, 6, and 12 months after assessing the model assumptions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean weight gain was 1.14 pounds (±17.26), 2.06 pounds (±18.46), and 3.06 pounds (±20.78) at 3-, 6-, and 12-month, respectively. Obese smokers who were prescribed varenicline had a mean weight gain of 1.18 pounds (±16.75), 2.14 pounds (±18.14), and 3.12 pounds (±20.89) for each follow up, while those who were prescribed bupropion had a mean weight gain of 0.23 pounds (±25.90), 0.22 pounds (±25.32), and 1.47 pounds (±17.50), respectively. Descriptive analysis showed that obese smokers taking bupropion had less weight gain than those taking varenicline at each follow up; however, this association was not statistically significant after accounting for all covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While patients using bupropion gained slightly less weight compared to those using varenicline, type of smoking cessation medication was not a significant predictor of weight change in the multivariate linear regression model.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Mo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Ekere James
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Essien
authors.affiliation: b Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy , University of Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abughosh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016642:Bupropion / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000068580:Varenicline / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D016642:Bupropion; D000068580:Varenicline
keywords: Comparative effectiveness; bupropion; obesity; smoking cessation; varenicline; weight change