Impact of E-Cigarette Prevention Messages on Adolescents

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.

Conditions

• Vaping Behavior

Interventions

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  collaborator NIH

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

  collaborator FED

• UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Seth Noar, PhD · UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

20 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-05

Primary Completion

2024-06-30

Completion

2024-08-12

Countries

• United States

Study Locations