Comparing SMS and E-mail Reminders in an Online Smoking Cessation Intervention

University of Oslo

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Nicotine Dependence Tobacco Product

Treatments: Other: Endre

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03276767

NFR 228158/H10-C

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary purpose of the current study is to compare the effect of SMS-textmessage vs e-mail reminders on user engagement and proportion of reported quit attempts in an online smoking cessation intervention.

Full description

Web- and mobile phone health behavior change interventions, including smoking cessation programs, offer great promise, but little is known about how such interventions should be designed to increase user engagement. The primary purpose of the current study is to compare the effect of SMS-textmessage vs e-mail reminders on user engagement and proportion of reported quit attempts in an online smoking cessation intervention.

The investigators propose a 2-arm RCT with 700 adult study participants that all receive a best practices web-based smoking cessation program designed for use on smart phones (web-app). The intervention includes a ten day preparation phase, in which participants continue smoking. On the eleventh day (and onward) the user will receive a session in which (s)he is asked whether (s)he has quit smoking or not. If not, the user will receive additional treatment sessions until (s)he reports having quit (or dropped out of the study). Each day (for up to 14 days) a new unique session is assigned to the user. However, if the user does not log on to the web-intervention and starts using the session by noon on the second day after assignment, the user will receive a reminder to do so. When a user is to be sent a reminder for the first time, (s)he will be randomized to either receive such reminders by SMS or by e-mail.

The primary outcome is reporting a quit attempt or not. Secondary outcomes include number web-sessions started and completed and time spent navigating sessions after the first reminder is received.

Enrollment: 700 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years or older
• current smoker
• determined to or considering to quit smoking
• provide valid e-mail address
• provide valid norwegian cell phone number
• complete a baseline questionnaire
• start using the intervention (pushing the next page button one time or more on the first session provided)
• has not logged on to any of the online session within noon on the second day after that particular session was made available

Exclusion criteria

• Not starting the first treatment session
• Taking every treatment session on time (no need for reminders, and thus not randomized)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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700 participants in 2 patient groups

Online intervention with SMS reminder

Experimental group

Description:

Reminders will be sendt by SMS-TEXTMESSAGE if users of "Endre" does not log on to an assigned online session by noon on the second day.

Treatment:

Other: Endre

Online intervention with e-mail reminder

Active Comparator group

Description:

Reminder will be sendt by E-MAIL if users of "Endre" does not log on to an assigned online session by noon on the second day.

Treatment:

Other: Endre