Worksite smoking cessation using nicotine resin gum (Nicorette®)

A worksite smoking cessation program using Nicorette, with or without self-help manuals, has not been reported previously. The gum is usually recommended only as an adjunct to a structured program or with individual counseling and support from a physician. Because of the cost in time and money, however, those options were not feasible for Shasta County. The relatively low-cost alternative described here was designed as an employee benefit which would pay for itself; it was not a research project. Interpreted with the corresponding limitations in mind, this report may be useful to other publich health practitioners. The Shasta County Public Health Department now offers nicotine poliacrilex gum with counseling among its clinic services and as an adjunct to the smoking cessation programs provided locally by the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society.