Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess Innovative Smoking Cessation Services for Young Adults in Texas
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Summary
The health benefits of smoking cessation by age 30 are much greater than cessation later in life, including gaining 10 years of life, compared with those who continue to smoke. The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the bilingual and culturally tailored Quitxt mobile cessation intervention. Quitxt provides interactive messages through texts or chat with visual and video content employing theory- and evidence-based techniques to prompt and sustain cessation. The study will recruit 1,200 Latino young adult smokers aged 18-29 who enroll and agree to make quit attempts, with half randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to receive Quitxt and half to abbreviated text messages with smoking cessation-related content and referral to the Texas Department of State Health Services cessation program Yes Quit (which has diverse formats, but not explicitly tailored for young Latino adults in South Texas). Participants respond to baseline and follow-up assessments at one, three and six months after their enrollment, and those who report cessation will be asked to provide saliva samples to confirm they quit smoking. The sample size will be sufficient to detect expected higher cessation rates in those who are enrolled in Quitxt than those who are enrolled in Texas DSHS Yes Quit. The investigators will publish results in scientific journals, report them at scientific and community meetings, share them on social media, and publicize them widely. This study has the potential to advance public health by evaluating the effectiveness of a scalable, easily disseminated and adaptable intervention to help young adults, especially Latinos, quit smoking and reduce smoking-related cancer and chronic disease morbidity and mortality and their associated healthcare costs.
Description
Despite major advances in tobacco control and treatment, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Smoking prevalence is highest among Texas young adults (ages 18-29) and even higher among those with less than a high-school education and those living in rural areas and at or below the poverty level, such as Latinos. About 19.2% of Latinos ages 18-29 in the study areas are current smokers placing them at higher risk of cancer and other tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Young adults are heavy users of smartphones, text messaging, social…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–29 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Latinos 2. aged 18-29 years; 3. smoking at least one cigarette/day ≥3 days/week; 4. interested in quitting; 5. willing to provide follow-up data; 6. are not simultaneously participating in a cessation program; 7. own a cell phone or smartphone; 8. are able to send and receive text messages and access the Internet; 9. reside in the study area; and 10. able to provide informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. are not interested in quitting; 2. are unable to provide consent due to a mental, emotional, or physical handicap that keep them from un…
Interventions
- BehavioralQuitxt text messaging or Chat
Mobile intervention using proven social cognitive, motivational interviewing, and brief intervention methods for promoting behavior change - blends bilingual text and social media messaging for smoking cessation tailored to the language and culture of young adult smokers in our vulnerable region of South Texas.
- OtherUsual care
Abbreviated text messaging with smoking cessation-related content and referral to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) cessation program Yes Quit.
Location
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas