Conditions: Smoking
Keywords: nicotine drug therapy Smoking Cessation
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 25
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to determine whether sampling nicotine replacement treatments (NRTs) is superior to learning about them by computer. Testing also covers preferences among the treatments. Subjects will be enrolled veterans who smoke.

Hypothesis: Direct experience ("sampling") of NRTs will increase knowledge about NRTs, motivation/confidence, use of NRTs and quit attempts in contrast to learning about NRTs by computer.

Detailed description:
The study was designed to compare sampling of several nicotine replacement treatments (NRTs) in contrast to a computer learning control. The NRTs include: 2 dosages of nicotine gum, 2 dosages of nicotine lozenges and 2 dosages of oral nicotine inhalers. In the sampling group, each participant tries each of the 6 NRTs for 3 minutes. In the control, the individuals read about the treatments. Dependent measures include: quit attempts, use of NRTs, preferences among NRTs, and learning and motivation.

Arms:
arm 1: Sampling = 3 minute testing of each of 6 NRTs (3 forms x 2 dosages)

2 mg and 4 mg nicotine gum; 2 mg and 4 mg nicotine lozenges; frequent and infrequent puffing on a nicotine inhaler (can yield 4 mg from 10 mg device). arm 2: Computer learning: learning about 6 NRTs (3 forms x 2 dosages) by computer only

Interventions: intervention 1: Nicotine gum - 2 mg and 4 mg intervention 2: Nicotine lozenges - 2 mg and 4 mg intervention 3: Nicotine inhaler (4 mg yield) - low and high "dosage" by frequency of puffing intervention 4: Computer learning
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None intervention 3: can yield 4 mg from 10 mg device - infrequent and frequent puffing intervention 4: None

Protocol document: