QuitBet Phase II: A Digital Social Game That Pays You to Stop Smoking

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of QuitBet, a digital contingency management program for smoking cessation. QuitBet combines social gaming elements with participant-funded financial incentives in the form of a deposit contract. QuitBet players deposit (called the bet) a specified amount of their own money into the game's pot. All winners who achieve the game's goal split the pot equally, such that their bet is fully refunded plus they receive extra money from the forfeited bets of players who did not meet the goal. Participants (N = 550) will be randomly assigned to QuitBet or QuitBet-NS (deposit contract only, no social elements). All participants will be offered a second game after their first game (up to 8 weeks total game duration) and will be asked to complete a survey after each game and at 1 and 4 months after the end of the second game (3 and 6 months after the start of their first game). The study will compare QuitBet vs. QuitBet-NS on smoking behavior outcomes and examine potential mediators of outcomes such as motivation, engagement, and satisfaction.

Official Title
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QuitBet Phase II: A Digital Social Game That Pays You to Stop Smoking

Conditions
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Smoking Cessation

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: contingency management (deposit contract)
* Behavioral: leaderboard and social feed
* Behavioral: smoking cessation resource list


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Sufficient English fluency to complete study procedures At least 21 years of age U.S. resident of any state currently smokes at least 5 cigarettes per day has an email address has a mailing address at which they can receive packages owns an Internet-connected Apple iPhone or Android smartphone that is compatible with QuitBet willing to deposit $30 via PayPal or a credit card willing to receive financial incentives earned during QuitBet via PayPal or in a paper check sent by mail

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: QuitBet<br>QuitBet is a quit smoking game delivered via a smartphone application that lasts 28 days and includes contingency management in the form of a deposit contract, integrated exhaled breath carbon monoxide (CO) testing, a social feed on which players can post and respond to messages, and a leaderboard that displays players' status (i.e., whether they are still eligible to win). A game host will post educational information about smoking cessation and serve as a discussion moderator. Participants will deposit (bet) $30 of their own money at the start of the game. Participants who submit a CO test that is 6ppm or lower (indicating no smoking) on at least 24 of the 26 days between day 3-28 will be declared winners and will split the pot of money that was deposited. All participants who submit at least 21 CO tests during the 28 day game, regardless of the CO test result, will be entered into a lottery to win a prize worth $75. | Behavioral: contingency management (deposit contract)<br>* Participants will deposit $30 of their own money to play QuitBet. Participants will submit a CO test once per day between the hours of noon and 11:59pm. Participants whose CO test is 6ppm or lower (indicating no smoking) on at least 24 of 26 days between day 3-28 of the game will be declared winners and split the pot of deposited money. Participants who submit at least 21 CO tests, regardless of the result, will be entered into a raffle to win a prize worth $75.<br>Behavioral: leaderboard and social feed<br>* Participants will have access to a discussion board on which participants can post and respond to messages to each other. Also, a game host will post educational information about smoking cessation and serve as a discussion moderator.<br>|
| Active Comparator: QuitBet-NS (no social elements)<br>QuitBet-NS will include the deposit contract and integrated CO testing with identical rules to QuitBet for being a winner, the $75 raffle for submitting at least 21 CO tests, a display of the participant's daily CO test results that is updated in real time, and a game feed on which only the game host has the ability to post. Players will not be able to post on this feed or respond to the host's posts. At the beginning of the game, the host will post limited information, including a list of smoking cessation resources. QuitBet-NS will NOT include the social feed, leaderboard, or any other social features. | Behavioral: contingency management (deposit contract)<br>* Participants will deposit $30 of their own money to play QuitBet. Participants will submit a CO test once per day between the hours of noon and 11:59pm. Participants whose CO test is 6ppm or lower (indicating no smoking) on at least 24 of 26 days between day 3-28 of the game will be declared winners and split the pot of deposited money. Participants who submit at least 21 CO tests, regardless of the result, will be entered into a raffle to win a prize worth $75.<br>Behavioral: smoking cessation resource list<br>* Participants will have access to a list of smoking cessation resources<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7-day point prevalence abstinence from combustible tobacco use |  | 6 months follow-up from the start date of their first QuitBet game | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| proportion of participants who choose to play a second game |  | 4 weeks after the start date of their first QuitBet game (end of game) | 
| smoking heaviness | number of cigarettes smoked during the past 7 days | 6 months follow-up from the start of their first QuitBet game | 
| proportion of participants who use smoking cessation medication |  | 6 months follow-up from the start of their first QuitBet game |