Mapping smoking environments with smartphone photos and AI to help people quit
Project DEDUCE: Digital Envirotyping to Develop Understanding of Cigarette Smoking and the Environment
This project will see if smartphone photos, sensors, and AI can identify places and situations that trigger smoking for daily smokers who plan to quit and are using nicotine patches.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 4 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 600 (estimated) |
| Ages | 21 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Duke University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Durham, North Carolina) |
| Trial ID | NCT07089901 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Adults who smoke daily and plan to quit will use study smartphone apps to take photos and collect sensor data around real-world moments of smoking and craving. Computer vision and other AI tools will analyze those images and data to identify environmental features linked to smoking behavior. Participants will also receive transdermal nicotine replacement therapy and follow a target quit date while researchers link environmental markers to craving and relapse risk. The goal is to create objective environmental signatures that could guide personalized relapse-prevention strategies.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults 21 or older who smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day, have smoked daily for two or more years, plan to set a quit date within a month, and own an iPhone or Android phone that can run the study apps.
Not a fit: People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, already using cessation treatments or regular non-cigarette nicotine products, have unstable medical conditions, or lack a compatible smartphone are unlikely to benefit from this specific protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify high-risk places and triggers so clinicians and smokers can tailor reminders or support to reduce relapse and improve quit success alongside nicotine patches.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies using sensors and ecological momentary assessment have shown promise linking environment to smoking, but full computer-vision-based digital envirotyping to guide cessation is novel with limited direct evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. 21 years of age or older; 2. Smoke ≥ 10 cigarettes/day of a brand delivering 0.5 mg nicotine (FTC method); 3. Smoking daily for ≥ 2 years, with a stable smoking pattern for the past 6 months; 4. Intention to quit smoking and set a target quit date in the next 1 month; 5. Have an iPhone or Android smartphone capable of running the photoEMA and iCO software Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the course of the study; 2. Currently in smoking cessation treatment or current use of smoking cessation products; 3. Regular use (i.e. \>9 days/month) of non-cigarette nicotine-containing products (e.g. cigarillos, e-cigarettes); 4. Anticipating major life changes (e.g. new job, birth of a child) during the course of the study; 5. Unstable medical conditions; 6. Contraindication for nicotine replacement therapy.
Where this trial is running
Durham, North Carolina
- Duke University Medical Center — Durham, North Carolina, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Francis J. McClernon, PhD — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Laura Van Althuis, MHA
- Email: laura.vanalthuis@duke.edu
- Phone: 919-668-4312
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.