NCT05985538

Impact of E-Cigarette Prevention Messages on Adolescents

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 480 (actual)
• Sponsor: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 20 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this trial is to determine whether a vaping prevention text message program reduces susceptibility to vaping among adolescents and young adults. This study addresses this issue by exposing participants to a vaping prevention text message program over a 28-day period in a randomized controlled trial with a matched attention control condition. A follow-up assessment is also made 4 weeks after the text messaging ends.

Detailed description

Tobacco prevention communication is a key tool for reducing tobacco use among adolescents and young adults. While the use of e-cigarettes and vaping has increased greatly among adolescents and young adults, there has been a dearth of research on effective communication strategies to reduce vaping. This study will test the impact of a text-messaging program on reducing susceptibility to vaping in a randomized controlled trial, illuminating whether such programs can be effective. The investigators focus on adolescents and young adults (ages 13-20) who currently vape or who are at risk of vaping. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a vaping prevention text message program or a wellness text message program (control). Participants in the study will take 4 online surveys over an 8-week period - at Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (2 weeks), Visit 3 (4 weeks), and Visit 4 (8 weeks).

Conditions

• Vaping Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Vaping prevention text messages	Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about the harms of e-cigarette use and vaping for 28 days, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28. Each vaping prevention text message will focus on one of six topics: nicotine addiction, monetary costs of vaping, chemical exposures from e-cigarette vapor, cosmetic effects of vaping, mental and physical use symptoms of vaping, and health impact on organs from vaping. Some text messages will ask participants for a reply (i.e., two-way messages).
BEHAVIORAL	Wellness behaviors text messages	Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about general wellness topics, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28. Each wellness text message will focus on one of six topics: sleep hygiene, safe driving, sun safety, study habits, nutrition, and exercise. This attention control condition is matched with the intervention condition in that participants will receive the same number of text messages over the same number of days, the same intervention structure (e.g., 6 topics), and the same number and types of two-way messages.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-02-05
• Primary completion: 2024-06-30
• Completion: 2024-08-12
• First posted: 2023-08-14
• Last updated: 2025-08-22
• Results posted: 2025-08-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States