Clinical trial NCT03574077: Semi-personalized IM Smoking Cessation Interventions
Official title: Semi-personalized Smoking Cessation Interventions for Adult Smokers Recruited at Smoking Hotspots: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Smoking Cessation
Lead sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-06-29
Enrollment: 119
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) has 2 arms: intervention group A (Group A), and control group (Group B). The participants will be randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups. The investigators will randomly select 12 smoking hotspots (SH) from different locations in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories for recruitment (4 in each region). A total of 24 sessions of recruitment activities will be organized to recruit 282 participants. The onsite recruitment and counselling will be conducted by trained SC ambassadors. SC ambassadors will approach smokers using a "foot-in- the-door" technique. Smoking status will be validated using exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) and eligibility will be checked by a short questionnaire.
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: Text messaging can provide smokers with quitting methods, information on available smoking cessation (SC) services and social support. This kind of intervention was proven to be effective for smoking cessation. Instant messaging (IM), by sending text and pictures, could provide users with better instantaneous and inexpensive support in their time of need. However, IM intervention is understudied in smoking cessation or other health-related areas to our knowledge, its approaches and efficacy warrant further investigation. This study aims to assess the effect of the combined intervention (nicotine replacement therapy sampling, active referral, and brief advice plus a supportive semi-personalized instant messaging advice) on smoking cessation and to assess the effect of the above interventions on secondary outcomes, including quit intention and attempts, smoking reduction, level of nicotine dependence, use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and SC services.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Aged 18 years or above and smoked at least 1 cigarette daily;
2. Hong Kong residents able to read and speak Cantonese;
3. Exhaled carbon monoxide of 4 ppm or above, assessed by a Smokerlyzer;
4. Using a cell phone with instant messaging tool (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat);
5. Able to use instant messaging tool (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat) for communication;

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Have psychiatric/ psychological diseases or regular psychotropic medications; and
2. Using SC medication, NRT, other SC services or projects.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Biochemically validated abstinence
timeFrame: 3-month follow-up
measure: Biochemically validated abstinence
timeFrame: 6-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: Level of nicotine dependence
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: Readiness to quit smoking
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: Quit attempts
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: Smoking reduction
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: NRT use
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
measure: SC services used
timeFrame: 3-month and 6-month follow-up
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hong Kong
country: Hong Kong
facility: School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
Study officials:
References:
citation: Zhao SZ, Wu YS, Chau SL, Fong DYT, Lam TH, Wang MP. Mobile chat-based support plus nicotine replacement therapy sampling to promote smoking cessation for community smokers: A randomized controlled trial. Tob Induc Dis. 2021 Apr 27;19:32. doi: 10.18332/tid/133373. eCollection 2021.