Clinical trial NCT06730646: Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers
Official title: Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Smoking Prevention
Keywords: anti-smoking
health communication
smoking behavior
Lead sponsor: Georgia State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-12-12
Enrollment: 1500
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Young adults are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, making them more susceptible to developing persistent substance use. The tobacco industry capitalizes on this vulnerability by using marketing tactics to promote tobacco initiation and facilitate the progression from experimental tobacco use to long-term use. In China, where the average age of starting daily smoking is 21.1 years old, the number of current young adult smokers exceeds 29 million. It is crucial to develop effective communication messages to counter the tobacco industry's marketing strategies and protect the health of young adults in China. This project aims to test the effects of different anti-smoking message themes among Chinese young adults. In this online randomized clinical trial, participants will be randomly assigned to one of five antismoking message conditions. The investigators will compare the effects of these themes with each other and with the control condition.

Detailed description: In this study, the investigators will examine the effectiveness of different anti-smoking themes in reducing intention to smoke among Chines young adults. The study will recruit 1500 adults aged 18-25 years old, including 750 current smokers and 750 non-smokers, evenly split between male and female.

The study will be conducted through a self-administered, web-assisted online survey software. Participants will be asked to consent to participate in this study via a consent form presented at the beginning of the survey. Consented participants will be randomized to one of six conditions (each represents a level of the independent variable: anti-smoking message theme): 1) Health effects 2) Tobacco industry manipulation 3) Mental health 4) Secondhand smoke 5) Social acceptability 6) Control messages with no cigarette-related content.

The study has two sessions. In session 1, participants will complete a 20-minute survey. The survey will begin with questions assessing demographic characteristics. Then participants will be shown intervention or control messages (watch three 30-second video in each condition), and beliefs and future intention to smoke cigarettes will be assessed.

Two weeks after session 1, participants will be asked to complete a 5-minute survey in session 2 of the study. The survey will measure participants' recall of the messages and smoking behaviors in the past two weeks after message exposure.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* • Aged between 18-25 years old

  * Current residency in China
  * Current smokers - having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and currently smoking every day or some days
  * Nonsmokers - having not smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and do not currently smoke cigarettes
  * Can to read, speak, and understand Mandarin Chinese

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Intention to use tobacco
timeFrame: Immediately after message exposure
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Perceived harm of smoking
timeFrame: Immediately after message exposure
measure: Perceived Message Effectiveness
timeFrame: Immediately after message exposure
measure: Quit intention
timeFrame: Immediately after message exposure
measure: Smoking behavior
timeFrame: Two weeks after message exposure
measure: Intention to use tobacco in follow-up test
timeFrame: Two weeks after message exposure
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Atlanta
country: United States
facility: Georgia State university
state: Georgia
city: Shanghai
country: China
facility: Online
state: Shanghai
Study officials:
References: