Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Smoking Prevention

• Registration Number: NCT06730646
• Lead Sponsor: Georgia State University

Brief Summary

Young adults are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, making them more susceptible to developing persistent substance use. The tobacco industry capitalizes on this vulnerability by using marketing tactics to promote tobacco initiation and facilitate the progression from experimental tobacco use to long-term use. In China, where the average age of starting daily smoking is 21.1 years old, the number of current young adult smokers exceeds 29 million. It is crucial to develop effective communication messages to counter the tobacco industry's marketing strategies and protect the health of young adults in China. This project aims to test the effects of different anti-smoking message themes among Chinese young adults. In this online randomized clinical trial, participants will be randomly assigned to one of five antismoking message conditions. The investigators will compare the effects of these themes with each other and with the control condition.

Detailed Description

In this study, the investigators will examine the effectiveness of different anti-smoking themes in reducing intention to smoke among Chines young adults. The study will recruit 1500 adults aged 18-25 years old, including 750 current smokers and 750 non-smokers, evenly split between male and female.

The study will be conducted through a self-administered, web-assisted online survey software. Participants will be asked to consent to participate in this study via a consent form presented at the beginning of the survey. Consented participants will be randomized to one of six conditions (each represents a level of the independent variable: anti-smoking message theme): 1) Health effects 2) Tobacco industry manipulation 3) Mental health 4) Secondhand smoke 5) Social acceptability 6) Control messages with no cigarette-related content.

The study has two sessions. In session 1, participants will complete a 20-minute survey. The survey will begin with questions assessing demographic characteristics. Then participants will be shown intervention or control messages (watch three 30-second video in each condition), and beliefs and future intention to smoke cigarettes will be assessed.

Two weeks after session 1, participants will be asked to complete a 5-minute survey in session 2 of the study. The survey will measure participants' recall of the messages and smoking behaviors in the past two weeks after message exposure.

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2024-11
• Study First Submitted: 2024-12-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-12-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-11
• Study First Posted: 2024-12-12
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-12
• Study Start: 2025-01
• Primary Completion: 2025-04
• Study Completion: 2025-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1500

Inclusion Criteria

• • Aged between 18-25 years old

  • Current residency in China
  • Current smokers - having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and currently smoking every day or some days
  • Nonsmokers - having not smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and do not currently smoke cigarettes
  • Can to read, speak, and understand Mandarin Chinese

Exclusion Criteria

• None

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Intention to use tobacco	Immediately after message exposure	A five-item scale measuring future intentions to smoke cigarettes and other forms of tobacco over the next year.; Response options: from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely).; Higher scores represent stronger intention to use tobacco.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Perceived harm of smoking	Immediately after message exposure	Measured with a single item, assesses participant's perception of own risk of overall harm to health under conditions of smoking every day. Response options range from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely), with higher scores representing a better outcome.
Smoking behavior	Two weeks after message exposure	Single item measuring the average number of cigarettes smoked per day in the past two weeks.
Perceived Message Effectiveness	Immediately after message exposure	A three-item scale measuring to what extent participants think the messages they saw discourage them from wanting to smoke, make smoking seem unpleasant, and make them concerned about health risks of smoking.; Response options: from 1 (Disagree) to 4 (Neither Disagree nor Agree) to 7 (Strongly Agree).; Higher scores represent a better outcome. The final perceived message effectiveness score is the mean of the response to the three items.
Quit intention	Immediately after message exposure	Only measured among smokers. A two-item scale measuring to what extent participants are interested in quitting in the next 6 month. Response options are from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely), with higher scores representing a better outcome. The final quit intention score is the mean of the response to the two items.
Intention to use tobacco in follow-up test	Two weeks after message exposure	A five-item scale measuring future intentions to smoke cigarettes and other forms of tobacco over the next year. Response options: from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely). Higher scores represent stronger intention to use tobacco.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Georgia State university; 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Online; 🇨🇳 Shanghai, Shanghai, China