NCT03802019

Cigarette Packaging of Low Nicotine Cigarettes

The Effects of Cigarette Package Color on Smoking Behavior, Exposure and Risk Perception When Using Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 219 (actual)
• Sponsor: Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of changes in cigarette package color on smoking behaviors, harm exposure, and risk perceptions when using low nicotine content (LNC) cigarettes.

Detailed description

This project will utilize a randomized, parallel-design trial to examine the effects of low nicotine content (LNC) cigarette packaging on smoking behaviors, harm exposure, risk perceptions, and subjective ratings of cigarettes. The investigators will aim to recruit and randomize 500 daily smokers (\~250 male, \~250 female) in a 35-day protocol. After completing a 5-day baseline period of smoking their own brand, participants will be randomized to a 30-day experimental period when they will receive either their own preferred brand (control), or LNC cigarettes in one of four types of packaging: standard investigational (gray packaging); red, or blue (tobacco industry strategy); or plain packaging (tobacco control strategy). Participants will be asked to attend 5 in-person sessions at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA) on Days 0, 5, 10, 20 \& 35. At Intake and Days 15, 25 and 30 participants will complete sessions with research staff remotely (i.e. by video call). Sessions will occur every 4-6 days, for a total of 5 in-person and 4 remote sessions across 35 days.

Conditions

• Smoking, Cigarette

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	LNC Cigarettes + Colored Packaging	After completing a 5-day baseline period of smoking their own brand, participants will be randomized to a 30-day experimental period when they will receive low nicotine content cigarettes in one of four types of packaging: gray, red, blue, or plain.
OTHER	Own Brand	After completing a 5-day baseline period of smoking their own brand, participants will be randomized to a 30-day experimental period when they will receive their own preferred brand of cigarette (i.e., control).

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-09-18
• Primary completion: 2025-08-27
• Completion: 2025-08-27
• First posted: 2019-01-14
• Last updated: 2026-02-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States