Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in
the United States and kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol,
illegal drug use, car accidents, fires, murders and suicides
combined. It has been estimated that 430,000 Americans die from
smoking every year. Fighting tobacco use is, consequently, one
of the major public health goals of our time and there are now
many programs available designed to help smokers quit. One of
the major aids used in these programs is nicotine chewing gum,
which acts as a substitute oral activity and provides a source
of nicotine that reduces the withdrawal symptoms experienced
when smoking is stopped. But separate randomized clinical trials
of nicotine gum have been largely inconclusive, leading
Silagy (2003) to consider combining the results studies
found from an extensive literature search. The results of these
trials in terms of numbers of people in the treatment arm and
the control arm who stopped smoking for at least 6 months after
treatment are given here.