Understanding how delay discounting affects smoking during pregnancy
Official title: Measuring and modifying delay discounting as a mechanism of smoking in pregnancy
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11026390 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at why some pregnant women find it hard to quit smoking even though they really want to, and it’s using a mobile app to help understand their choices better so that we can create better ways to support them in stopping smoking for the health of both mom and baby.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $185,064 |
| NIH project number | 5K08DA058046-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11026390 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are pregnant women who smoke and wish to quit.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not pregnant or who do not smoke may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates why many pregnant women who smoke struggle to quit despite wanting to, focusing on a concept called delay discounting. Delay discounting refers to the tendency to prioritize immediate rewards over long-term benefits, which in this case, leads to continued smoking despite the known risks to both mother and baby. The study aims to measure this behavior using a mobile app and explore ways to modify it to help women quit smoking during pregnancy. By addressing the gaps in understanding how delay discounting relates to smoking, the research seeks to develop safer and more effective cessation strategies for pregnant women.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new methods for helping pregnant women quit smoking, ultimately improving health outcomes for both mothers and their babies.
How similar studies have gone: While the concept of delay discounting has been studied in other contexts, this specific approach to modifying it for smoking cessation in pregnant women is novel and has not been extensively tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Scott — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Lee, Scott
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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.