NCT04224727

The Impact of Group Commitment Contracts on Smoking Cessation and Weight Loss

• Status: Suspended
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 3,600 (estimated)
• Sponsor: National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of group commitment contracts for smoking cessation and weight loss.

Detailed description

Initial screening will be conducted online via the Qualtrics survey platform. Respondents meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria will immediately be randomized into one of the intervention arms described below, and then take a baseline survey. This baseline survey will also be conducted online via the Qualtrics survey platform. The initial screening, randomization, and baseline survey should take approximately 15 minutes total and can be completed anywhere the participant has an internet connection. INTERVENTION: Respondents who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized into one of the following arms: 1. Control Arm (No Intervention) 2. Group Contract Arm 3. Individual Monetary Rewards Arm 4. Individual Commitment Contract Arm Subjects in Arms #2-4 will be cross-randomized into two subgroups: A. Additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates." B. No additional information treatments. FOLLOW-UP SURVEY: After the participants finish their contract, they will be emailed a link to the follow-up survey that will be administered online via the Qualtrics survey platform. The survey should take approximately 5 minutes and can be completed anywhere the participant has an internet connection. Participants will be directly prompted to answer whether they have been able to quit smoking or lose their target weight in the past six months. If a participant self-reports a claim of smoking cessation or successful weight loss, they will be asked to furnish at-home verification of their claim. IN-PERSON VERIFICATION: A randomly selected subset of successful participants will be asked for in-person verification of their claim with a urine test (smoking cessation) or in-person weigh-in (weight loss) at a Quest Diagnostics location of their choice.

Conditions

• Smoking Cessation
• Weight Loss

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Group Commitment Contract	A group contract where the primary individual, who will be tracked by the study, can invite peers to join the contract and form their group. To initiate a contract, a user must choose: the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight, and and, optionally, to allow other members to have the power to invite other people to join the group.
BEHAVIORAL	Individual Monetary Rewards	Individuals eligible for a $100 monetary reward (incentive) following verified smoking cessation or weight loss.
BEHAVIORAL	Individual Commitment Contract	Individuals will have the opportunity to create an individual commitment contract to quit smoking. They will have the option to set the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight.
OTHER	Information	In the initial survey, participants will receive additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates."

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-12-18
• Primary completion: 2025-06-19
• Completion: 2025-06-19
• First posted: 2020-01-13
• Last updated: 2024-04-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States