Study on the Effect of Digital Smoking Cessation Education Intervention on Outpatients

Study on the Effect of Digital Smoking Cessation Education Intervention on Outpatients

This study aimed to assess the novel approach of an immersive three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) smoking cessation program and its effectiveness on smoking outpatients

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 100 outpatients from a smoking cessation clinic in Taiwan. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=50) or the comparison group (n=50) through a coin toss. The experimental group received standard outpatient smoking cessation services in combination with an immersive 3D VR smoking cessation program, while the comparison group received only standard outpatient services. The VR program included five interactive modules that used immersive scenarios to simulate smoking-related cues and provide educational content, employing cognitive-behavioral techniques and practicing coping strategies to promote behavior change.

Inclusion Criteria:

• currently receiving outpatient care at the smoking cessation clinic
• self-reported current tobacco use
• aged between 20 and 64 years
• no participation in any smoking cessation intervention within the past 12 months

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients with medical contraindications that could prevent them from engaging with the VR equipment