Clinical trial NCT06483763: Evaluating the Impact of a Photoaging App Versus School-Based Educational Intervention on Adolescents' Knowledge, and Attitudes Towards Tobacco Use
Official title: Evaluating the Impact of a Photoaging App Versus School-Based Educational Intervention on Adolescents' Knowledge, and Attitudes Towards Tobacco Use in Omani Public Schools: A Cluster Randomized Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Tobacco Use Cessation
Smoking Cessation
Smoking Prevention
Lead sponsor: Sultan Qaboos University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-07-03
Enrollment: 227
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 15
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide. It has been estimated that by 2030, tobacco use will cause approximately 10 million deaths per year worldwide, with 70% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Oman, a country in the Arabian Peninsula, is not immune to this global health problem. Tobacco use is prevalent among young people in Oman, and efforts to prevent and control tobacco use among youth are a public health priority.

This study employs a cluster randomized controlled trial design to assess the impact of a photo-gaining app versus a structured educational intervention on tobacco knowledge and attitudes among adolescents in Sohar, Oman. Boys' public schools serve as clusters, with students in grades 9 to 12 as participants. Schools are randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention, facilitated by medical students trained at a local university, involves using the SmokerFace App to demonstrate the effects of smoking via photo-aging technology. The control group receives a standardized educational module endorsed by the World Health Organization. Primary outcomes focus on comparing tobacco knowledge levels between groups, while secondary outcomes examine attitudes towards tobacco use. Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments are conducted using the modified WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Randomization is implemented in two stages to ensure balance, and efforts are made to maintain blinding among outcome assessors and data analysts.

The proposed study is a cluster randomized trial aimed at evaluating the impact of a photo-aging app versus structured educational intervention on knowledge and attitude towards tobacco use and tobacco consumption habits among Omani adolescents. The results of this study will be important for developing effective strategies for preventing tobacco use among youth in Oman and other countries with similar socio-cultural contexts.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion and Exclusions Criteria:

All Boys' public schools in Sohar, North Al-Batinah Region, from classes 9 to 12, were included in the study. Girls' schools as well as parents and students who declined participation were excluded from the study.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The difference in the level of knowledge regarding the harmful effects of tobacco use between the intervention and control groups using the GYTS Scale
timeFrame: 12 Weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: The difference in the attitudes towards tobacco use between the intervention and control groups using the GYTS Scale
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Sohar
country: Oman
facility: National University of Science and Technology
Study officials:
References: