Baseline Characteristics of the Study Subjects
| Characteristic | All Subject (n = 150) | EC Group (n = 75) | NG Group (n = 75) | P Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 42.3 ± 8.3 | 44.0 ± 7.8 | 40.7 ± 8.4 | .014 |
| Male sex, N (%) | 150 (100) | 75 (100) | 75 (100) | 1.000 |
| Education level, N (%) | ||||
| ≤High school | 91 (60.7) | 51 (68.0) | 40 (53.3) | .066 |
| ≥College | 59 (39.3) | 24 (32.0) | 35 (46.7) | |
| Marriage status, N (%) | ||||
| Unmarried | 15 (10.0) | 5 (6.7) | 10 (13.3) | .174 |
| Married | 135 (90.0) | 70 (93.3) | 65 (86.7) | |
| Alcohol user, N (%) | 107 (71.3) | 55 (73.3) | 52 (69.3) | .588 |
| Exercise, N (%) | 82 (54.7) | 45 (60.0) | 37 (49.3) | .189 |
| Total smoking amount, pack-year | 21.56 ± 9.71 | 23.84 ± 9.40 | 19.28 ± 9.54 | .004 |
| Cigarettes per day smoked, pack | 1.01 ± 0.37 | 1.05 ± 0.37 | 0.96 ± 0.36 | .161 |
| Duration of smoking, years | 21.98 ± 8.76 | 23.26 ± 7.60 | 20.69 ± 9.67 | .072 |
| Initial confidence about quitting smoking, score | 5.95 ± 2.67 | 6.12 ± 2.57 | 5.79 ± 2.77 | .447 |
| FTND, score | 4.05 ± 2.24 | 4.00 ± 2.22 | 4.09 ± 2.27 | .799 |
| Number of prior attempts to quit (%) | ||||
| None | 15 (10.0) | 10 (13.3) | 5 (6.7) | .193 |
| 1 | 31 (20.7) | 12 (16.0) | 19 (25.3) | |
| ≥2 | 104 (69.3) | 53 (70.7) | 51 (68.0) |
EC, electronic cigarette; NG, nicotine gum; FTND, Fagerström test for nicotine dependence.
↵* P values were calculated by independent t test (for continuous variables) and χ2 test (for categorical variables).