Despite the availability of a variety of effective treatments for smoking cessation, uptake of treatments is low. The increasing use of smartphone technology presents an exceptional opportunity to expand access to low-cost smoking cessation services. In this pilot study, the investigators will use a text-messaging platform to test peer mentoring for smoking cessation, delivered by former smokers. While peer mentoring is a common approach to health behavior change, it has rarely been used to maximum effect by smoking cessation programs. The text-messaging platform serves as the basis for a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of peer mentoring for smoking cessation. This pilot will include approximately 200 U.S. adult smokers who will be randomly assigned to a peer mentor or not. Participants in the control group will receive automated text messages used in SmokefreeTXT, a nationwide text-messaging service sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in which users receive one to five automated messages per day for up to eight weeks. Smokers in the intervention group will receive a modified version of the same automated messages from SmokefreeTXT, but with additional personalized messages from an assigned peer mentor. Mentors will provide responses to specific questions or comments a smoker may have after receiving the automated messages. The intervention will last 8 weeks. The study includes primary outcomes to measure the acceptability, engagement, user experience, and early efficacy of the intervention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
200
Participants will receive automated text messages used by SmokefreeTXT. The messages are designed to provide encouragement, support, and information about quitting smoking. Participants will receive 1-5 automated messages per day for 6-8 weeks depending on choice of quit date.
Participants will receive a modified version of the automated text messages sent to the control arm plus random assignment to a peer mentor. The modified messages include automated "conversation starters," designed to stimulate conversation with the peer mentor. The peer mentor will then send personalized, tailored responses. The peer mentor is a former smoker who has completed a training program developed by the investigator team. Participants will receive 1-5 automated messages per day for 6-8 weeks depending on choice of quit date.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Saliva test for cotinine
The primary measure of early efficacy is the 7-day point prevalence of abstinence measured 3 months after the quit day, using a saliva cotinine test. The saliva test results will be recorded through a series of photographs and shared with the study team via email or online upload. Participants who self-report having smoked in the last 7 days, as part of the follow-up survey, will be considered to be continuing smokers.
Time frame: 3 months after quit day
Self-reported smoking status
Participants will self-report 7-day point prevalence of abstinence in the follow-up survey, measured 3 months after the quit day.
Time frame: 3 months after quit day
Duration of engagement
The primary measure of participant engagement is the number of days from enrollment since the participant last replied to a message asking about the person's status (e.g., mood and cravings). The status messages are common to the scripts sent to participants in the control and peer mentoring arms.
Time frame: Up to 8 weeks
Satisfaction with the program
The primary measure of acceptability of the intervention is the self-reported rating of participants to the statement, "I liked participating in the iQuit Project." Responses will be on a 5-point Likert scale from "completely disagree" to "completely agree."
Time frame: 3 months after quit day
Proportion of participants who correctly self-report their message type
The primary measure of user experience in the intervention is whether participants correctly identify the type of messages they received: automated or personal from a mentor. The measure has four categories: 1. assigned to automated messages and self-reports receiving automated messages only, 2. assigned to automated messages and self-reports receiving at least some messages from a mentor, 3. assigned to mentor messages and self-reports receiving at least some mentor messages, and 4. assigned to mentor messages and self-reports receiving automated messages only.
Time frame: 3 months after quit day
Change in average cigarettes per day
This measures the difference in self-reported average number of cigarettes smoked per day from the baseline survey to the follow-up survey 3 months after quit day
Time frame: 3 months after quit day
Number of participant messages sent
This measure of engagement is the number of resp days from enrollment since the participant last replied to a message asking about the person's status (e.g., mood and cravings). The status messages are common to the scripts sent to participants in the control and peer mentoring arms.
Time frame: Throughout the 6-8 week intervention
Proportion who unsubscribe
This measure of engagement is the proportion of participants who unsubscribe from the text-messaging intervention prior to the end of the intervention period.
Time frame: Throughout the 6-8 week intervention
Accuracy of beliefs about personal content
This is the difference between the percentage of messages reported to be from a mentor (as opposed to being automated) and the actual percentage.
Time frame: Throughout the 6-8 week intervention
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