Mobile tools to understand how sleep affects quitting smoking
Official title: Using Mobile Technology to Examine Mechanisms Linking Sleep and Smoking Cessation
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11502972 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a smartphone to track sleep and smoking in lower-income adults trying to quit to find how sleep patterns relate to staying smoke-free.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 4R00DA058711-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11502972 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 or older who currently smoke, are planning or attempting to quit, and are willing to use a smartphone for tracking—especially those with lower socioeconomic status—are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not trying to quit, lack reliable smartphone access, or cannot attend required Rutgers-area visits may not benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you smoke and are trying to quit, researchers will use a smartphone to collect real-time information about your sleep and any smoking slips around your quit attempt. The work focuses on adults with lower incomes who often have poorer sleep and less access to quitting resources. Data will come from mobile surveys and sleep measures, combined with biochemical checks of abstinence, collected before and after the quit date. The team aims to identify sleep-related behaviors and times when people are most likely to lapse so that future phone-based supports can be better timed to prevent relapse.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor mobile quitting supports around sleep issues and improve the chances of staying smoke-free for people with low income.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked poor sleep to smoking relapse but often used retrospective surveys; using mobile real-time monitoring is a newer approach with limited prior results.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ra, Chaelin Karen — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Ra, Chaelin Karen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Peer-led smoking-cessation program for public housing residents
A peer-led program with eight group sessions plus nicotine replacement therapy is tested on adults living in public housing to help them quit smoking.
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Real-world use of quit aids in US adults
This project studies how well different quitting aids work in everyday life for adults in the United States who smoke.
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.