Public education messages about cigarillo harms for Black young adults

Effective Cigarillo Public Education Messaging for Black Young Adults

This project will test whether three types of public education messages change harm beliefs, outcome expectations, and intentions about cigarillo use among Black young adults aged 18–30 who are at risk of starting cigarillo smoking.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 360 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 30 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Drexel University (Academic / other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06863168 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a three-arm randomized controlled trial delivered online that compares different public education messages about cigarillo health harms and nicotine addiction, including messages contextualized to outcome expectancies. Participants are non-Hispanic Black or African American adults aged 18–30 who are susceptible to cigarillo use or currently smoke cigarillos some days but are not regular users, recruited via online research panels. Primary outcomes are harm perceptions, outcome expectancies, and intentions measured at 1- and 3-month follow-ups, with exploratory outcomes including actual initiation and use behaviors at 3 months. Consent, baseline assessment, randomization, message exposure, and follow-up surveys are all conducted online.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are non-Hispanic Black/African American individuals aged 18–30 who are susceptible to cigarillo smoking or occasionally smoke cigarillos but have not been regular users of other tobacco products.

Not a fit: People who already smoke cigarillos daily, have a history of regular use of other tobacco products, are outside the 18–30 age range, or do not identify as non-Hispanic Black/African American are unlikely to benefit from these messages as tested in this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the messages could increase perceived harm and decrease intentions to use cigarillos, helping prevent cigarillo uptake among at-risk young adults.

How similar studies have performed: Related public education and tobacco messaging studies have reduced intentions and increased perceived harm for some tobacco products, but message-specific evidence for cigarillos among Black young adults is limited.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Be between 18 to 30 years of age;
* Self-identify as non-Hispanic Black or African American ethnicity and race, respectively;
* Must be able to communicate, read, and write in the English language;
* Have never used cigarillos fairly regularly based on a valid measure but are deemed susceptible to cigarillo smoking based on a valid 4-item susceptibility measure; OR currently smokes cigarillos some days but not every day (i.e., experimentation)
* And must have no history of fairly regular use of any other tobacco products (i.e., little cigars, large cigars, cigarettes, hookah tobacco, electronic vaping products, smokeless tobacco, and heated tobacco products)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Persons who are younger than 18 years of age or older than 30 years of age.
* Persons who do not self-identify as a non-Hispanic Black/African American person.
* Persons who are not deemed susceptible based on a valid susceptibility measure (i.e., not susceptible to cigarillo smoking)
* Persons who have fairly regular use of any tobacco product (i.e., persons with a former or current established pattern of any tobacco use including cigarillos, little cigars, large cigars, cigarettes, hookah tobacco, electronic vaping products, smokeless tobacco, and heated tobacco products)
* Persons who are unable to read, write, and communicate in English language. The informed consent and other materials, including surveys, are only available in the English language for this study. Additionally, trained staff members that will communicate and interact with participants for this study can only speak in English.

Where this trial is running

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and 1 other locations

• Drexel University — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Not_yet_recruiting)
• Drexel University — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Lilianna Phan, PhD, MPH, MS

Conditions Cigarillo Smoking