Avatar-led mobile program to help young adults quit tobacco
Project 5: Development and pilot evaluation of a novel mobile health intervention for young adult tobacco cessation
A new avatar-led mobile program called LiFT offers tailored quit support for 18–30-year-olds who use nicotine and tobacco products.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New Mexico State University Las Cruces NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Las Cruces, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11190918 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project adapts an existing avatar-led Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) program into a mobile app called Living Free from Tobacco (LiFT) tailored for young adults. The team will run a small randomized trial with about 120 participants to compare the full LiFT program to a reduced version that only provides educational content. Outcomes include user satisfaction, number of app logins, psychological flexibility, and biochemically confirmed 7-day abstinence from commercial nicotine and tobacco products. The research will also look at whether a person’s initial readiness to quit changes how well the program works.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Young adults aged 18–30 who currently use any commercial nicotine or tobacco products, regardless of their current readiness to quit, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 18 or over 30, non-tobacco users, or those seeking only medication-based treatment may not be eligible or benefit from this mobile behavioral program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make quitting support more appealing and accessible to young adults and increase short-term quit rates.
How similar studies have performed: Previous digital ACT programs (including the team’s Flexiquit) have shown promising early results, but tailored mobile interventions for diverse young adults remain relatively new and need more testing.
Where this research is happening
Las Cruces, United States
- New Mexico State University Las Cruces — Las Cruces, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stimatze, Tamara — New Mexico State University Las Cruces
- Study coordinator: Stimatze, Tamara
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.