Cognitive Behavioral Treatment with Activity Trackers for Smoking Cessation

Summary

Given the high prevalence of deaths per year attributable to tobacco use, improving smoking cessation treatments is an important public health priority Worldwide. It is also known that practicing physical activity (PA) may help smoking cessation. Physical activity trackers have been demonstrated to increase PA levels in different studies with various populations, as a sole intervention or in combination with interventions targeting PA.

This study aims to examine the feasibility, effect, and cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) + Personalized physical activity (PA) + Physical Activity Tracker use (Fitbit Versa 3®) for smoking cessation. Given the high prevalence of deaths per year attributable to tobacco use, improving smoking cessation treatments is an important public health priority worldwide.

In this study, an estimated sample of 128 adult smokers will be randomly allocated to one of the following conditions: 1) CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan + Fitbit Versa 3®; 2) CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan.

Mail goals: 1) To examine the feasibility (i.e., adherence, perceived utility, satisfaction) of integrating Fitbit Versa 3® into a CBT protocol for smoking cessation; 2) to examine the effectiveness of CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan + Fitbit Versa 3® and CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan in terms of smoking abstinence rates (point-prevalence and days of continuous abstinence), PA (i.e., steps per day, moderate to vigorous physical activity) and mental health outcomes (anxiety and depression symptoms, emotional dysregulation); 3) to examine the cost-effectiveness of CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan + Fitbit Versa 3® vs. CBT for smoking cessation + personalized PA plan in terms of smoking abstinence rates (point-prevalence and days of continuous abstinence), PA (i.e., steps per day, moderate to vigorous physical activity) and mental health outcomes (anxiety and depression symptoms, emotional dysregulation).

Conditions

• Tobacco Use Cessation
• Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for smoking cessation

Treatment components will include psychoeducation on the consequences of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting; therapeutic commitment; self-monitoring of cigarette smoking; brief advice on healthy eating behaviors and sleep hygiene, physiological feedback (based on CO levels), training in self-control strategies, stimulus control, management of craving with alternative activities, diaphragmatic breathing, weekly personalized physical activity objectives, and relapse prevention strategies. The protocol consists of a nicotine fading procedure, which consists of a weekly reduction in nicotine intake of 30% (based on both tobacco brands and the number of cigarettes) from the first to the fifth session.

BEHAVIORAL

Personalized PA plan

The treatment provider will fix an objective (e.g. go for brisk walking for 30 minutes 3 times this week) for each participant every week according to his/her current PA level, time availability, likes, and fitness level.

DEVICE

Fitbit Versa 3

Wearable activity tracker with the functionalities of a watch function, including time, date, calendar, and weather (connection to the internet is required). Physical activity monitoring (steps per day, active minutes per day, plants climbed, heart rate monitoring, time, intensity, caloric expenditure, and exercise type of exercise session), sleep monitoring (sleep time, sleep phases time, sleep quality), stress levels managing and guided breathing application are the main health-related functionalities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Oviedo

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-05-10

Primary Completion

2025-12-01

Completion

2025-12-01

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations