NCT02823028

Twitter-enabled Mobile Messaging for Smoking Relapse Prevention (Tweet2Quit)

Social Media Technology for Treating Tobacco Addiction

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 980 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 59 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Tweet2Quit is an innovative smoking cessation intervention that combines real-time online peer-to-peer support with auto messaging. In a three-group randomized controlled trial, the investigators will compare: 1) usual care, 2) Tweet2Quit-coed, and 3) Tweet2Quit-Women only.

Detailed description

The proposed randomized controlled evaluation of the Tweet2Quit intervention will biochemically verify abstinence out to 6-months follow-up and will test the personalized benefit for women of a women-only versus co-ed Tweet2Quit group. In a 3-arm design, the investigators will compare: 1) usual care, 2) Tweet2Quit-coed, and 3) Tweet2Quit-Women only. Each Tweet2Quit group will include buddy pairs based on similarity in demographics. Also automated pattern detection will identify dips in tweeting and trigger automated alerts and engagement strategies. The sample consists of 960 adult smokers plus 20 in an initial pilot group to check technology functionality (not included in outcome assessment). The primary aims test Hypothesis 1: Relative to usual care (n=240), Tweet2Quit-coed groups (n=480) will achieve significantly greater bioconfirmed sustained abstinence out to 6-months follow-up for each gender, and Hypothesis 2: Women in Tweet2Quit will achieve significantly greater bioconfirmed 6-months abstinence in woman-only groups (n=240) vs. coed groups (n=240 women). Our secondary aims are to test the same hypotheses based on 3-month (end of treatment) sustained abstinence and 7-day point prevalence at 1, 3, and 6 months with biochemical verification at 3 and 6 months. Exploratory aims will study the Tweet2Quit groups' social network structures with a focus on the identification of buddy pairs and social brokers and test if these relationships are stronger for women in women-only groups versus women in coed groups of Tweet2Quit. \*Prior to the start of the RCT, the investigators will run one coed pilot group (N=20). Total size of the study (including the pilot group) will be N=980.

Conditions

• Smoking Cessation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	NRT	8-weeks of study provided NRT patch, and 8-weeks of study provided NRT gum of varying strengths or 8-weeks of study provided NRT lozenges, depending on patient level of nicotine dependence.
BEHAVIORAL	Web Guide	A website that will provide participants with access to an evidence-based set of "base" treatment materials in one central location. The site will include information on the proper use of nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, and it will have a direct link for participants to access the NCI's Smokefree.gov Quit Guide. The website will remind participants about quit dates and send alerts via email to participants to complete the appropriate NCI Quit Guide modules.
BEHAVIORAL	Tweet2Quit	A fully automated, 90-day quit smoking intervention that provides an online, peer-to-peer support group for quitting and uses twice-daily automessages to encourage and direct the peer-to-peer exchanges. Each group will consist of 12 buddy pairs (matched on key demographics) that will be introduced via automated texts. The program will generate twice-daily programmed contacts (e.g., "what benefits do you hope to get from quitting smoking?"). Automated pattern detection software will identify and address any problematic low tweeting within a group.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-10-01
• Primary completion: 2022-09-01
• Completion: 2022-09-01
• First posted: 2016-07-06
• Last updated: 2024-11-21
• Results posted: 2024-11-21

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study