NCT07102290

Pragmatic Trial of Text Messages to Recruit Unassisted Tobacco Users Into Quitline Service

Texting to Recruit Unassisted Tobacco Users at a Large Safety Net Health System Into Quitline Service for a Medicaid Value-based Care Program: Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 4,171 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Davis · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this pragmatic trial is to compare the effects of text messages on quitline enrollment by patients identified in electronic health records as unassisted tobacco users. The main question it aims to answer is: Do messages offering free counseling or free nicotine patches by text increase quitline enrollment? Researchers will compare if people receiving texts about free nicotine patches will have higher quitline enrollment than texts about free counseling. Participants will receive a text message stratified by quitline language and click on the toll-free number to access quitline services.

Detailed description

Participants were patients of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LADHS). Through the LADHS population health team, eligible patients were identified through data extraction from the electronic health record for quality metric reporting. Participants were stratified by language (English, Spanish) by LADHS, then randomly assigned to one of two groups. The randomization assignment was generated by a statistician from Kick It California, and text messages were assigned to groups and delivered by LADHS. Group 1 received a text message offering free quitline coaching. Group 2 received a text message offering free nicotine patches. The texts were sent April-May 2022 and were in English or Spanish according to patient preference. All messages contained a toll-free number to access services, which could be called directly from the text message link, but for tracking purposes different numbers were used. The quitline, Kick It California, offered coaching to all enrolled participants. The quitline also mailed a 2-week supply of nicotine patches to all enrolled participants unless contraindicated, regardless of which text offer they received. To ensure equitable access, a second text was sent to all participants in June 2022 offering free NRT.

Conditions

• Smoking Cessation Counselling

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Free Help	Text message offering free quitline coaching. FREE HELP: Hello #first name#, Kick It California works with your provider to help you quit smoking at no cost. A Quit Coach can double your chances of quitting. For more info call 1-844-XXXXXXX.
BEHAVIORAL	Free Nicotine message	Text message for free nicotine patches with free quitline counseling. FREE NRT: Hello #first name#, Kick It California works with your provider to help you quit smoking at no cost. You may be able to get nicotine patches mailed to your home at no cost. For more info call 1-844-XXXXXXX.
BEHAVIORAL	Spanish: Free help message	(Spanish translation available as only English text can be published online in clincialtrials.gov): Text message offering free quitline coaching. FREE HELP: Hello #first name#, Kick It California works with your provider to help you quit smoking at no cost. A Quit Coach can double your chances of quitting. For more info call 1-844-XXXXXXX.
BEHAVIORAL	Spanish: Free nicotine message	(Spanish translation available as only English text can be published online in clinicaltrials.gov): Text message for free nicotine patches with free quitline counseling. FREE NRT: Hello #first name#, Kick It California works with your provider to help you quit smoking at no cost. You may be able to get nicotine patches mailed to your home at no cost. For more info call 1-844-XXXXXXX.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-04-01
• Primary completion: 2022-05-01
• Completion: 2022-08-31
• First posted: 2025-08-03
• Last updated: 2025-12-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States