Online Helpers training to reduce smoking relapse by strengthening your support network
Official title: Effect of Helpers Program On-line Training on Smoking Relapse and Social Networks
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11286823 · Data updated 2026-11-12
An online program that teaches recent quitters to help friends or family stop smoking so their social circle becomes more supportive and they are less likely to relapse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $536,251 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA248658-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11286823 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 or older who have recently quit smoking, are currently abstinent, and are willing to complete online training and follow-up contacts.
✕Less likely to help
People who are still actively smoking, who did not recently quit, who cannot or will not use online tools, or who have no social contacts who smoke may not gain benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
If you recently quit smoking, this program offers online lessons and tools to help you support people in your personal network who still smoke. The idea is that helping others quit can reinforce your own abstinence and shift your social environment to be more supportive of staying smoke-free. Participants complete the web-based Helpers SQ training and periodic follow-ups so researchers can track smoking status and changes in social connections over time. The study compares relapse and network changes after the intervention to see if the approach helps maintain long-term abstinence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help more people stay quit longer by creating stronger social support for abstinence.
How similar studies have gone: Past relapse-prevention behavioral trials have had mixed results, and the 'help others' strategy is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Muramoto, Myra L. — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Muramoto, Myra L.
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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.