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Perceived safety of nicotine and the use of nicotine replacement products among current smokers in Great Britain: Results from two national surveys

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 04:17 authored by Bobak, A, Shiffman, S, Gitchell, JG, Bery, J, Stuart FergusonStuart Ferguson
The hypotheses that smokers hold misconceptions around nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) safety, and that these concerns limit the use of NRT, was tested with two large face-to-face surveys of current smokers in Great Britain in 2004 (N = 605) and 2006 (N = 1,434). In both studies, participants were questioned regarding the safety of nicotine and NRT products, their past experience with NRT and anticipated future use. Across both surveys, approximately two thirds of smokers believed that, or were unsure whether, NRT was as harmful as cigarette smoking. Combining information across surveys, smokers with safety misconceptions reported being less likely to want to quit in the future (63% vs. 73%; p < .001), and, among those who were interested in quitting, were less likely to report an intention to use NRT during their next quit attempt. The majority of smokers were misinformed about the safety of NRT products, and smokers with safety misconceptions were less likely to report that they plan to use NRT during future quit attempts, suggesting that safety concerns are a barrier to NRT utilisation.

History

Publication title

Journal of Smoking Cessation

Volume

5

Pagination

115-122

ISSN

1834-2612

Department/School

School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology

Publisher

Australian Academic Press

Place of publication

Australia

Rights statement

Copyright © 2010 Australian Academic Press

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Evaluation of health outcomes

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

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