Evaluating the Impact of a Photoaging App Versus School-Based Educational Intervention on Adolescents' Knowledge, and Attitudes Towards Tobacco Use

Summary

Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide. It has been estimated that by 2030, tobacco use will cause approximately 10 million deaths per year worldwide, with 70% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Oman, a country in the Arabian Peninsula, is not immune to this global health problem. Tobacco use is prevalent among young people in Oman, and efforts to prevent and control tobacco use among youth are a public health priority.

This study employs a cluster randomized controlled trial design to assess the impact of a photo-gaining app versus a structured educational intervention on tobacco knowledge and attitudes among adolescents in Sohar, Oman. Boys' public schools serve as clusters, with students in grades 9 to 12 as participants. Schools are randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention, facilitated by medical students trained at a local university, involves using the SmokerFace App to demonstrate the effects of smoking via photo-aging technology. The control group receives a standardized educational module endorsed by the World Health Organization. Primary outcomes focus on comparing tobacco knowledge levels between groups, while secondary outcomes examine attitudes towards tobacco use. Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments are conducted using the modified WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Randomization is implemented in two stages to ensure balance, and efforts are made to maintain blinding among outcome assessors and data analysts.

The proposed study is a cluster randomized trial aimed at evaluating the impact of a photo-aging app versus structured educational intervention on knowledge and attitude towards tobacco use and tobacco consumption habits among Omani adolescents. The results of this study will be important for developing effective strategies for preventing tobacco use among youth in Oman and other countries with similar socio-cultural contexts.

Conditions

• Tobacco Use Cessation
• Smoking Cessation
• Smoking Prevention

Interventions

OTHER

SmokerFace App from the Education Against Tobacco (EAT) program

The SmokerFace App utilizes photo-aging technology that requires users to take a selfie. This selfie is processed by the software to generate four images depicting the consequences of smoking (or not smoking) one pack a day over both a one-year and 15 years. The app provides explanations of these smoking beauty-reducing visual outcomes and educates users about the aesthetic impacts of smoking, along with potential health consequences.

OTHER

The use of standardized school-based educational module

This module is designed to promote a tobacco- and nicotine-free environment and is validated by at least three experts in related fields (27). The intervention will be customized to fit the Omani sociocultural context and will be administered in the classrooms of respective schools by the same team of trained medical students

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sultan Qaboos University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

15 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-01

Primary Completion

2024-05-31

Completion

2024-05-31

Countries

• Oman

Study Locations