The use of videos to inform smokers about different nicotine replacement products

This study examined the feasibility of using video presentations to inform smokers about nicotine replacement treatment (NRT). The study was part of a larger trial comparing four different NRTs. Five hundred and four smokers attended a clinic on the day they stopped smoking. They were presented with a brief video overview of the four treatments. They were then randomly allocated to a treatment and shown another brief video describing that treatment in more detail. After 1 week of NRT use, participants rated how clearly the video described how the treatments work, how to use them and their possible side effects. They also rated how their experience of the product compared to expectation in terms of helpfulness, convenience and side effects. The smokers reported overwhelmingly that the videos had accurately described the product to which they had been allocated. Video presentations can be an effective way to convey information to smokers about NRT.