Gender differences in the real-world effectiveness of smoking cessation medications: Findings from the 2010–2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey
Meta-analyses of clinical trial data have identified clinically relevant gender differences in the efficacy of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. It is unclear whether these findings are generalizable to smokers quitting in real-world contexts.
Using Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) 2010-2011 cross-sectional data, we generated propensity score matched samples of smokers who quit either unassisted by medication, using only varenicline, or using only transdermal nicotine patch (TNP). We used generalized estimating equations to estimate gender differences in the comparative effectiveness of these cessation options for achieving 30-days of abstinence, adjusting for potential confounders.
When stratified by gender, TNP was significantly more effective than unassisted quit attempts for men (OR=1.37; 95%CI=1.02,1.83; p=0.03), but not for women (OR=0.96; 95%CI=0.71,1.31; p=0.82). Varenicline was significantly more effective than unassisted quit attempts for women (OR=1.63; 95%CI=1.16, 2.31; p=0.005), but not men (OR=1.35; 95%CI=0.94,1.96; p=0.11). Varenicline was also more effective than TNP for women (OR=1.51; 95%CI=0.12,2.05; p=0.007) but not men (OR=0.92; 95%CI=0.65,1.31; p=0.64). A significant gender by medication interaction was found only for the comparison of varenicline to TNP (OR=1.64; 95%CI=1.04,2.61; p=0.04).
Findings for varenicline vs. TNP were consistent with clinical trial data, showing greater differences in effectiveness for women compared to men. Results lend support to the generalizability of clinical trial findings, highlighting the importance of considering gender when offering treatment for smoking cessation.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
4
7%
Psychology
3
5%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
3%
Nursing and Health Professions
2
3%
Other
5
9%
Unknown
25
43%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 11. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 April 2018.
All research outputs
#4,442,570
of 34,372,222 outputs
Outputs from Drug & Alcohol Dependence
#1,901
of 7,185 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#58,510
of 358,125 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Drug & Alcohol Dependence
#70
of 179 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,372,222 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 86th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 7,185 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 20.1. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 73% of its peers.
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