Impact of E-Cigarette Prevention Messages on Adolescents

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Vaping Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Vaping prevention text messages; Behavioral: Wellness behaviors text messages

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05985538

5R01DA049155-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

20-1245

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this trial is to determine whether a vaping prevention text message program reduces susceptibility to vaping among adolescents and young adults. This study addresses this issue by exposing participants to a vaping prevention text message program over a 28-day period in a randomized controlled trial with a matched attention control condition. A follow-up assessment is also made 4 weeks after the text messaging ends.

Full description

Tobacco prevention communication is a key tool for reducing tobacco use among adolescents and young adults. While the use of e-cigarettes and vaping has increased greatly among adolescents and young adults, there has been a dearth of research on effective communication strategies to reduce vaping. This study will test the impact of a text-messaging program on reducing susceptibility to vaping in a randomized controlled trial, illuminating whether such programs can be effective. The investigators focus on adolescents and young adults (ages 13-20) who currently vape or who are at risk of vaping.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a vaping prevention text message program or a wellness text message program (control). Participants in the study will take 4 online surveys over an 8-week period - at Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (2 weeks), Visit 3 (4 weeks), and Visit 4 (8 weeks).

Enrollment: 480 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 20 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Ages 13-20 years old (inclusive)
• Have a phone that sends and receives text messages
• Ever vaped or are susceptible to using e-cigarettes or vaping

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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480 participants in 2 patient groups

Vaping prevention text messages

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about the harms of e-cigarette use and vaping for 28 days, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Vaping prevention text messages

Wellness behavior text messages

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about general wellness topics, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Wellness behaviors text messages