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Table 1 Demographic and smoking characteristics by group

From: Impact of large-scale distribution and subsequent use of free nicotine patches on primary care physician interaction

 

Recipients and users of free nicotine patches (n = 201)a

Control (n = 201)a

p-value

Demographic Characteristics

 Age, mean (SD)

49.6 (12.0)

48.7 (11.2)

0.446

 Female, % (n)

50.7 (102)

50.7 (102)

1.000

 Married/Common-law, % (n)

53.2 (107)

59.7 (120)

0.191

 Employed full- or part- time, % (n)

58.7 (118)

62.2 (125)

0.475

 Education Level, % (n)

  

0.440

  Less than high school diploma

24.0 (48)

21.9 (44)

 

  High school diploma

38.0 (76)

44.3 (89)

 

  Post-secondary

38.0 (76)

33.8 (68)

 

 Household Income, % (n)

  

0.940

   < $60,000

65.4 (125)

65.1 (123)

 

   ≥ $60,000

34.6 (66)

34.9 (66)

 

 Health satisfaction, mean (SD)b

3.2 (1.2)

3.2 (1.1)

0.764

Smoking Characteristics

 Cigarettes/day, mean (SD)

18.0 (7.2)

17.9 (6.8)

0.820

 FTND score, mean (SD)

5.0 (1.7)

5.0 (1.8)

0.822

 Level of Nicotine Dependence, % (n)

  

1.000

  Low

8.0 (16)

8.0 (16)

 

  Low to Moderate

29.4 (59)

29.4 (59)

 

  Moderate

56.2 (113)

56.2 (113)

 

  High

6.5 (13)

6.5 (13)

 

 Age at first smoking, mean (SD)

14.4 (4.2)

14.8 (3.8)

0.307

 Years as smoker, mean (SD)

25.9 (13.3)

24.2 (13.0)

0.199

 Number of previous quit attempts, % (n)

  

0.142

  0

5.0 (10)

3.0 (6)

 

  1–5

63.2 (127)

72.1 (145)

 

  6 +

31.8 (64)

24.9 (50)

 

 Past quit methods or aids used, % (n)

   

  Nicotine replacement therapy (patch/gum/inhaler)

68.6 (131)

64.1 (125)

0.351

  Bupropion

34.0 (65)

31.3 (61)

0.565

  Varenicline

33.0 (63)

24.6 (48)

0.069

  Counselling (individual or group)

7.3 (14)

5.1 (10)

0.370

  Acupuncture/hypnosis/herbal remedies

16.2 (31)

16.4 (32)

0.962

  Self-help materials

17.3 (33)

17.9 (35)

0.863

 Stage of Change

  

1.000

  Precontemplation, % (n)

20.4 (41)

20.4 (41)

 

  Contemplation, % (n)

39.3 (73)

39.3 (73)

 

  Preparation, % (n)

40.3 (81)

40.3 (81)

 

 Confidence in ability to quit, mean (SD)

5.8 (2.6)

5.6 (2.4)

0.428

 Importance of quitting now, mean (SD)

7.6 (2.2)

7.7 (2.4)

0.768

 Comfort in discussing smoking cessation with family doctor, mean (SD)c

8.5 (2.5)

8.7 (2.3)

0.623

  1. Note: SD = standard deviation; FTND = Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence
  2. Age, Gender, FTND, and Stage of Change were used to case match control participants to recipients and users of nicotine patches in the experimental group
  3. aSample sizes vary due to missing data on some variables
  4. bHealth satisfaction was assessed by way of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) [42] question on health satisfaction over the past 2 weeks, where participants were asked to rate how satisfied they are with their health on a 5-point Likert scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied)
  5. cComfort in discussing smoking cessation with family doctor was assessed on a Likert scale of 1 (not at all comfortable) to 10 (very comfortable). This question was asked only of those in the preparation and contemplation stages of change
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BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

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