Self-help materials tailored to the needs of individual smokers assist quitting and are more effective than standard materials.

Tailoring may take a range of forms, but in trials which have suggested it to be effective, a baseline questionnaire is used to identify a smoker's characteristics or concerns, and readiness to quit. This information is used to generate the set of individually tailored self-help instructions and tips which are most likely to be relevant. Materials that are only adapted for broad population subgroups have not shown a clear advantage over generic materials.

Strecher VJ . Computer-tailored smoking cessation materials : A review and discussion. Patient Educ Couns. 1999; 36: 107-117.

Fiore MC, Jaén CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. May 2008.

Lancaster T, Stead LF. Self-help interventions for smoking cessation (Cochrane Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005; 3.