How cutting nicotine in smoked tobacco might change smoking in New Zealand
Assessing the real-world impact of a low nicotine product standard for smoked tobacco in New Zealand
This project follows adults who smoke in New Zealand to track how lowering nicotine in all smoked tobacco changes their smoking, health markers, and quitting over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11382646 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group of about 1,500 adults who smoke daily or almost daily and be followed for 3.5 years that spans before and after a national nicotine limit goes into effect. Researchers will ask you to complete online surveys, give breath and blood samples for biomarkers, take part in brief physical assessments, and share medical records and interviews. The team will count cigarettes smoked, measure dependence and exposure to smoke toxins, record quit attempts, and ask about overall wellbeing. Mixing numbers and interviews is meant to capture real-life effects of a low-nicotine policy rather than short lab trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults (21+) who smoke daily or nearly daily, live in New Zealand, and are willing to complete surveys, provide samples, and share medical records.
Not a fit: People who do not smoke, who only smoke very occasionally, are under 21, or cannot provide follow-up information or biological samples are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could show whether a low-nicotine rule helps people smoke less, quit more often, and lower exposure to harmful smoke chemicals.
How similar studies have performed: Shorter randomized trials have shown that very low nicotine cigarettes reduce cigarettes per day, dependence, and smoke exposure and increase quit attempts, but longer real-world evidence is limited.
Where this research is happening
Winston-Salem, United States
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Denlinger-Apte, Rachel — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Denlinger-Apte, Rachel
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.