Media Literacy + Text Messaging Support + Financial Incentives for Smoking Cessation

Not currently recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Tzeyu Michaud, PhD

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Nebraska

Disqualifiers: Pregnancy, Vaping programs, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores various methods to help people quit vaping, including media literacy education, text messaging support, and financial incentives. Participants will join groups to determine which combination is most effective for quitting and maintaining abstinence from vaping. The trial targets individuals who have vaped in the past 30 days, can access the internet or text messaging, and wish to quit vaping soon. As an unphased trial, it provides a unique opportunity to investigate innovative methods for quitting vaping.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications to join the trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that programs teaching media literacy to prevent vaping are safe and well-liked. These programs help reduce vaping among teens by teaching them to think critically about vaping ads and messages. Participants in these programs have not reported any major side effects.

Financial rewards for quitting smoking have also undergone safety studies. These programs offer money or vouchers to encourage people to quit. Research found that they help people stop smoking without causing harm. Specifically, out of every 100 people who received financial incentives, about 10 successfully quit smoking for at least six months, proving these programs both safe and effective. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it combines several innovative approaches to smoking cessation that go beyond traditional methods like nicotine replacement therapy or counseling. This trial explores the impact of media literacy e-learning, which helps participants understand and resist persuasive vaping advertisements, coupled with text-messaging support to provide ongoing motivation and guidance. Additionally, offering financial incentives is a unique element that could significantly boost participants' commitment to quitting. By integrating these components, researchers aim to discover a more effective strategy for helping individuals stop vaping.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for vaping cessation?

Studies have shown that offering money, as in the financial incentive arm of this trial, can help people quit smoking. Even after payments stop, individuals are more likely to remain smoke-free. The media literacy arm, which includes programs teaching how media can influence behavior, can also reduce the urge to vape. Research suggests that combining these educational programs with text message support, as done in the media literacy and active control arms, aids in quitting vaping. Early results indicate that adding financial rewards to this approach, as in the combined arm, increases participation and success. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Tzeyu Michaud, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Nebraska

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for young adults aged 19-29 who have been vaping regularly for at least 6 months, want to quit, and have asthma. They must be able to access internet or text messaging services but can't use other nicotine products or already be in a quitting program.

Inclusion Criteria

Report vaping in the previous 30 days

Have access to internet/video chat/SMS text message

I am between 19 and 29 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

I am currently participating in a program to stop vaping.

Self-report as currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 3 months

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Quitting Preparation

Participants prepare for quitting vaping with support from text-messaging and media literacy e-learning lessons

4 weeks

1 visit (in-person), multiple virtual interactions

Abstinence

Participants attempt to maintain vaping abstinence with continued support and financial incentives for some groups

8 weeks

1 visit (in-person), 3 remote saliva submissions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for vaping abstinence and engagement with the program

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Financial incentive
• Media literacy
• Social support
• Text-massaging support
• Vaping cessation program

Trial Overview

The study tests if combining media literacy education with real-time texting support and financial rewards helps people stop vaping better than just one of these methods alone. Participants will either get the combined approach or just one part of it.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Combined Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Participants will receive media literacy e-learning lessons, financial incentive, and an evidence-based text-messaging support program.

Group II: Active control Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in this arm will receive an evidence-based text-messaging support.

Group III: Financial incentive Active Control 2 Interventions

Participants will receive financial incentive intervention and an evidence-based text-messaging support.

Group IV: Media literacy Active Control 2 Interventions

Participants will receive media literacy e-learning lessons and an evidence-based text-messaging support.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Nebraska

Lead Sponsor

Trials

563

Recruited

1,147,000+

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Collaborator

Trials

315

Recruited

251,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving 31 college smokers, 45% reported quitting smoking after six weeks of using a mobile phone text messaging program designed to support smoking cessation.

The program not only helped many participants quit but also significantly reduced smoking rates and dependence among those who continued smoking, demonstrating its potential effectiveness for young adult smokers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Internet and mobile phone text messaging intervention for college smokers. Riley, W., Obermayer, J., Jean-Mary, J.[2022]

Television quit smoking programs are increasingly being used as a medium to promote smoking cessation, with various features like timing, content, and cost-effectiveness being explored.

Despite the innovative approaches to using TV for smoking cessation, there has been limited thorough assessment of the actual impact these programs have on viewers' smoking behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Smoking and television: review of extant literature. Danaher, BG., Berkanovic, E., Gerber, B.[2019]

In a study of 1418 adolescents over a 3-month mobile phone-delivered smoking cessation program, three engagement trajectories were identified: stable engagement (45.6%), decreasing engagement (35.3%), and stable nonengagement (19.1%).

While stable engagement was linked to younger age and perceived benefits of quitting, decreasing engagement was associated with greater reductions in daily tobacco use, suggesting that even reduced participation can indicate positive behavioral change.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Engagement Within a Mobile Phone-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention for Adolescents and its Association With Participant Characteristics and Outcomes. Paz Castro, R., Haug, S., Filler, A., et al.[2019]

In a study of 18,080 adults using the SmokefreeTXT program, over half completed the 42-day smoking cessation treatment, with a 12.9% abstinence rate among those who finished the program.

The study revealed that while initial engagement was promising, long-term abstinence rates dropped significantly, highlighting the need for improved participant retention strategies and support at critical time points to enhance smoking cessation success.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Analysing user-reported data for enhancement of SmokefreeTXT: a national text message smoking cessation intervention. Augustson, E., Cole-Lewis, H., Sanders, A., et al.[2018]

In a study of 6215 adults using the SmokefreeTXT program for smoking cessation, factors such as younger age, female sex, and higher nicotine dependence were linked to a higher likelihood of opting out of the program, indicating that these characteristics may affect retention rates.

Users who were around other smokers or had lower intentions to quit were also more likely to disengage early, suggesting that tailored support for these individuals could improve retention and enhance the effectiveness of text messaging interventions for smoking cessation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Predictors of Retention in an Adult Text Messaging Smoking Cessation Intervention Program: Cohort Study. Wiseman, KP., Coa, KI., Prutzman, YM.[2023]

The study aims to enhance adherence to a web-based smoking cessation program by integrating a text messaging intervention, focusing on four key features: personalisation, integration, dynamic tailoring, and message intensity, with 860 adult smokers participating in the initial phase.

In the second phase, 600 adult smokers will be randomly assigned to either the web-based program alone or the program combined with the optimized text messaging intervention, with the goal of measuring the impact on smoking cessation rates after 9 months.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Optimising text messaging to improve adherence to web-based smoking cessation treatment: a randomised control trial protocol. Graham, AL., Jacobs, MA., Cohn, AM., et al.[2019]

A study involving 8 college students demonstrated that a remotely delivered intervention using financial incentives effectively helped all participants quit vaping nicotine within 2 weeks.

Participants preferred the iScreen cotinine tests over NicAlert for monitoring vaping abstinence, indicating a potential for easier implementation in future interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a remotely delivered, financial-incentive intervention to initiate vaping abstinence in young adults. Raiff, BR., Newman, ST., Upton, CR., et al.[2022]

The Quit the Vape (QTV) program, which includes automated text messaging for e-cigarette cessation, showed high engagement and satisfaction among participants, with over 85% responding to messages and 55.6% reporting satisfaction compared to only 17.7% in the control group.

Adding live text counseling (QTV-C) appeared to enhance quitting outcomes, with 27.8% of participants achieving 7-day point prevalence abstinence, compared to 11.1% for QTV alone and 5.9% for the control group, suggesting that this combination may be more effective for e-cigarette cessation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A pilot randomized controlled trial of automated and counselor-delivered text messages for e-cigarette cessation. Krishnan, N., Berg, CJ., Le, D., et al.[2023]

In a study involving 924 smokers using the QuitTxt program, most participants (68.9%) preferred the default messaging frequency of 4-8 texts per day, and the median duration of use was 27 days, indicating a generally positive reception of the program.

Despite some users not fully reporting their quit status, many still found QuitTxt helpful, suggesting that consistent reporting may not be crucial for the program's effectiveness in supporting smoking cessation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How do smokers use a smoking cessation text messaging intervention? Balmford, J., Borland, R.[2018]

The study evaluates the effectiveness of a text message program called 'This is Quitting' for helping young adults (ages 18-24) quit vaping, with a primary outcome of 30-day abstinence measured 7 months after enrollment.

Initial results from a pilot sample of 269 participants showed that 16.2% of those using the text message intervention achieved abstinence compared to 8.3% in the control group, indicating a promising potential for this intervention in promoting vaping cessation among young adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of a Quit Vaping Text Message Program in Promoting Abstinence Among Young Adult E-Cigarette Users: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Graham, AL., Jacobs, MA., Amato, MS., et al.[2020]

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