Mobile WhatsApp chat support and brief advice to help adults quit smoking in the community
Mobile-assisted Brief Intervention for Smoking Cessation in Community-based Setting: a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
This test will see whether brief advice plus a self-help booklet and WhatsApp chat messages help adults in Singapore who smoke daily to quit over six months.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 100 (estimated) |
| Ages | 21 Years to 80 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | National University of Singapore Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Singapore) |
| Trial ID | NCT07375459 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This randomized pilot assigns community-based adult smokers in Singapore to either brief cessation advice with a self-help booklet, opt-out referral, and ongoing WhatsApp chat messaging, or to a control condition. Participants are followed for six months to measure recruitment, retention, engagement, acceptability, and preliminary abstinence outcomes. Eligible people are aged 21–80, smoke at least one cigarette daily, can read English or Chinese, and own a smartphone with WhatsApp, while pregnant women and those who received cessation treatment in the past three months are excluded. The trial is designed to test feasibility and gather initial effectiveness data to inform a larger trial.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults aged 21–80 in Singapore who smoke at least one cigarette daily, can read English or Chinese, own a smartphone with WhatsApp, and are not pregnant or currently receiving cessation treatment.
Not a fit: People who are pregnant, recently received smoking cessation treatment, or who do not own a smartphone or use WhatsApp are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could broaden access to low-cost, scalable quitting support and increase short-term quit rates among community smokers.
How similar studies have performed: Previous mHealth programs combining brief advice and messaging have shown modest improvements in quit rates, but WhatsApp-based chat interventions are less well studied and evidence remains limited.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 21 to 80 years * Smoked at least one cigarette daily * Able to communicate and read in English or Chinese * Own a smartphone with WhatsApp installed Exclusion Criteria: * Exposed to any smoking cessation treatment in the past 3 months * Pregnant women
Where this trial is running
Singapore
- National University of Singapore — Singapore, Singapore (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Tzu Tsun Luk, PhD, RN — National University of Singapore
- Study coordinator: Tzu Tsun Luk, PhD, RN
- Email: luktt@nus.edu.sg
- Phone: 65-66015938
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.