Evaluation of Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy as Compared to Counselling among Adults for Tobacco Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Tobacco abuse is a greatest cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Guidelines recommend that smoking cessation intervention are offered to all smokers willing to make a quit attempt. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness on tobacco cessation by using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) plus counselling (CO) as intervention and CO as control. Methods: A literature analysis including PubMed, Google scholar published till December 2022 performed. Articles available in English language were included. A meta-analysis was performed. Results: Six RCTs were incorporated in the study. Four studies presented with high risk of bias. Subgroup analysis using random model effect favoured combined treatment of NRT and CO (p<0.0001). Conclusion: A combination therapy can reduce cigarette consumption thus encouraging tobacco abstinence among the population.

Keywords

• counselling
• nicotine replacement therapy
• tobacco use cessation
• tobacco smokeless
• key messages: nrt and co alone may not be able to achieve desired result like that of combined effects