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Mobile-based Positive Psychological Support for Smoking Cessation Via "Quit to Win" Contest 2021 (QTW 2021)

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) logo

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Treatments

Other: Brief leaflet on health warning and smoking cessation
Behavioral: Positive psychological support through 3-people group chat using instant messaging apps
Behavioral: AWARD advice
Other: Self-help smoking cessation booklet
Other: Referral card
Behavioral: E-messages via SMS

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04909320
QTW 2021

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a combined intervention using brief cessation advice and personalized chat-based positive psychological support compared with the control group on current smokers who join the Quit to Win Contest.

Full description

Smoking is a leading cause of many diseases and deaths globally. Although Hong Kong has a relatively low overall smoking rate of 10.2% (in 2019), health and economic burdens due to smoking are still substantial. The practice of smoking might predispose smokers to COVID-19 infection and poor prognosis. Growing evidence has also suggested that smokers are at higher risk of developing serious respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms in the COVID-19 pandemic than non-smokers. Smoking cessation in the post-COVID-19 era is the key priority to meet the HKSAR Government's target of reducing smoking prevalence to 7.8% by 2025.

Mental health problems are commonly comorbid with smoking and related problems. Our population-based survey amidst the COVID-19 pandemic found current smokers were at higher risk of suffering from anxious symptoms (adjusted OR 1.84 95% CI 1.27, 2.67), depressive symptoms (adjusted OR 2.04 95% CI 1.40, 2.96), and stress symptoms (adjusted β 0.54 95% CI 0.26, 0.82) compared with non-smokers. We also observed mental health burden increased during the COVID-19 pandemic with approximately doubling of the prevalence of anxious symptoms (15.8 vs. 9.3) and depressive symptoms (14.8 vs. 6.3) compared with the pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2017). Mental health can be both precursors and consequences of smoking. Previous studies have suggested that depressive symptoms and low positive affect during and after SC attempts are associated with poor cessation outcomes. This implies that a combined intervention of behavioral and psychological SC intervention is needed, particularly under the circumstance of worsening mental health problems.

Therefore, our study aims to test the effectiveness of a combined intervention using brief cessation advice and personalized chat-based positive psychological support compared with the control group on current smokers who join the Quit to Win Contest.

Enrollment

1,094 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above
  • Smoke at least 1 tobacco stick (includes HTP) per day or use e-cigarette daily in the past 3-month
  • Able to communicate in Chinese
  • Saliva cotinine 30 ng/ml or above
  • Intent to quit/reduce smoking
  • Able to use the instant messaging tool (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat) for communication

Exclusion criteria

  • Smokers who have communication barrier (either physically or cognitively)
  • Smokers who are currently participating in other SC programmes or services

Trial design

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

1,094 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group
Experimental group
Treatment:
Behavioral: AWARD advice
Other: Self-help smoking cessation booklet
Other: Brief leaflet on health warning and smoking cessation
Behavioral: Positive psychological support through 3-people group chat using instant messaging apps
Other: Referral card
Control group
Active Comparator group
Treatment:
Behavioral: E-messages via SMS
Behavioral: AWARD advice
Other: Self-help smoking cessation booklet
Other: Brief leaflet on health warning and smoking cessation
Other: Referral card

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Central trial contact

Ziqiu Guo, MMed; Man Ping Wang, PhD

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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