Using social media and a chatbot-equipped mobile app to help young people stop vaping
Testing the Feasibility and Acceptability of Social Media and Digital Therapeutics to Decrease Vaping Behaviors
This project will test whether outreach via social media plus a chatbot feature in the quitSTART mobile app can help teens and young adults who vape quit or cut down.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 1 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 189 (estimated) |
| Ages | 15 Years to 25 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Washington University School of Medicine Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (St Louis, Missouri) |
| Trial ID | NCT05994209 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Researchers will identify teens and young adults who are talking about vaping on social media, invite them to complete an online chatbot screening, and enroll eligible participants into a mobile intervention adapted from the quitSTART smoking cessation app. The app includes a chatbot feature and digital therapeutic content tailored for vaping cessation and is delivered to participants' smartphones. This Phase 1 interventional project focuses on feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment approach and the digital intervention among English-speaking US residents. The study is led by Washington University School of Medicine with collaborators and runs from a central site in St. Louis with remote participant engagement.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are English-speaking US residents who currently use vaping products daily, have regular smartphone access, and are already discussing quitting or vaping-related problems on social media, but are not using vaping to quit combustible cigarettes.
Not a fit: People who are non-English speakers, lack daily smartphone access, are using vaping primarily to quit combustible smoking, or are not active on social media are unlikely to benefit from this particular approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could provide teens and young adults a private, easy-to-use mobile program and chatbot support to help them stop vaping.
How similar studies have performed: Mobile apps based on quitSTART have shown benefit for combustible cigarette smokers, but combining social media recruitment with a chatbot-supported vaping cessation app is a newer approach with limited prior evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * US Resident * English Speaking * Have daily access to a smartphone * Current vaping product user (P30D) * Identified as socially networking about a desire to quit vaping and/or experiencing negative health outcomes due to vaping * Vaping product user only (i.e., not using vaping as a means to support combustible smoking cessation)
Where this trial is running
St Louis, Missouri
- Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, PhD
- Email: pcavazos@wust.edu
- Phone: 314-362-2152
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.