Acute Effects of Cigarette Packaging and Charcoal Filtration on Perceptions, Use Behaviors, and Harm Exposure (SKY Pilot)

Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Smoking Behaviors

Treatments: Other: Charcoal-filtered cigarette; Other: Non-charcoal filtered cigarette

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05157048

IRB 849152 (Other Identifier)

UPCC 05021 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This single laboratory session pilot study will examine the acute effects of cigarette filter type and packaging on initial product perceptions, use, and exposure. Forty adult daily smokers will be randomized to smoke two study-supplied commercially-available cigarettes interspersed by 45 minutes, completing pre- and post-cigarette carbon monoxide and questionnaire measures. We will use a 2 x 2 mixed factorial design to manipulate cigarette filter type (within-subject: charcoal vs. non-charcoal) and packaging (between-subject: light vs. dark).

Full description

We will recruit 40 adult daily, non-menthol smokers to a single 2-hr laboratory study where they will smoke two study-provided [commercially available] cigarettes, each for a 10-min ad lib period, and then complete product perception and use measures. Smoking sessions will be video recorded and scored to capture puffing behavior, and carbon monoxide (CO) assessments will be collected before and after smoking to assess changes in acute smoke exposure. We will use a 2 x 2 mixed factorial design to manipulate the study-provided cigarette's packaging (between subject factor: light colored 'Sky' package vs. black NAS package; both industry-made) and filter type (within-subject factor: charcoal filter vs. non-charcoal filter; cigarettes will appear identical despite differences in filter composition). Primary outcomes will be product perceptions (risk perceptions, subjective ratings), use behaviors (puffing behavior and purchase task), and acute toxicant exposure (changes in CO).

Enrollment: 42 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Male and female smokers who are between 21 and 60 years of age and self-report smoking at least 5 cigarettes per day for at least the past 12 months.
• Smokers of primarily non-menthol cigarettes.
• Not currently undergoing smoking cessation treatment or trying to quit.
• Able to communicate fluently in English (speaking, writing, and reading).
• Capable of giving written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Subjects who self-report and/or present with the following criteria will not be eligible to participate in the study:

Smoking Behavior

1. Use of menthol cigarettes as preferred/regular brand (defined as using >20% of the time).
2. Use of research cigarettes in the past 6 months (i.e., past 6-month participation in applicable previous CIRNA studies).
3. Enrollment or plans to enroll in a smoking cessation program in the next month.
4. Provide an initial Carbon Monoxide (CO) reading < 5 parts per million (ppm).

Alcohol/Drugs

1. History of substance abuse (other than nicotine) in the past 12 months and/or currently receiving medical treatment for substance abuse.
2. Current alcohol consumption that exceeds 25 standard drinks/week.

Medical

1. Women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, and/or lactating.
2. Any impairment including, but not limited to, visual, physical, and/or neurological impairments preventing the completion of procedures included within this protocol. Notable impairments will be evaluated by the PI and eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
3. Color blindness.
4. Serious or unstable disease within the past 12 months (e.g. heart disease, cancer). Applicable conditions will be evaluated by the Principal Investigator and eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Psychiatric

As determined by self-report:

1. Lifetime history or current diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, and/or schizophrenia.
2. Current diagnosis of major depression. Subjects with a history of major depression, in remission for 6 months or longer, are considered eligible.

Other

Additionally, participants may be deemed ineligible for any of the following general reasons at any point throughout the study, as well as during the initial telephone screen, at the discretion of the PI:

• Significant non-compliance with protocol and/or study design.
• Past, current, anticipated, or pending enrollment in another research program over the study period that could potentially impact study data.
• Any medical condition, illness, disorder, adverse event (AE), or concomitant medication that could compromise participant safety or significantly impact study performance.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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42 participants in 2 patient groups

Light pack color

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be randomized to one of two pack color conditions: light or dark. Those in the light pack color condition will be given Natural American Spirit Sky packs.

Treatment:

Other: Non-charcoal filtered cigarette

Other: Charcoal-filtered cigarette

Dark pack color

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be randomized to one of two pack color conditions: light or dark. Those in the dark pack color condition will be given Natural American Spirit Black packs.

Treatment:

Other: Non-charcoal filtered cigarette

Other: Charcoal-filtered cigarette