An interventional study of E-cigarette ad exposure and non e-cigarette TV commercials in Attentional Bias, Smoking Cues and Positive Perceptions About Cigarette Smoking, sponsored by Trustees of Dartmouth College. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 14 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-26.
Sponsored by Trustees of Dartmouth College · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This research aims to investigate how exposure to advertising for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (commonly called e-cigarettes) may lead to combustible smoking initiation in adolescents.
[3/14/2020]: Study recruitment temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Trustees of Dartmouth College is the lead sponsor of 38 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants in the e-cigarette ad exposure condition will view e-cigarette ads on the computer screen while having their eye movements tracked
Behavioral: E-cigarette ad exposure
Participants in the non e-cigarette ad exposure condition will view non e-cigarette ads on the computer screen while having their eye movements tracked
Other: non e-cigarette TV commercials
Participants view a series of e-cigarette TV commercials
Participants view a series of non e-cigarette TV commercials
Implicit Positive Smoking Expectancies, Measured by the Implicit Association Test
Scores are measured by recording the amount of time (milliseconds) it takes to categorize smoking-related words with positive (e.g., cool) and negative (e.g., cancer) words. Faster reaction times when categorizing smoking-related words with positive words is evidence of higher positive smoking expectancies.
Time frame: within 5 minutes post intervention
Amount of Time Spent Looking at Static Smoking Cues in E-cigarette Advertisements
Eye-tracking will be used to measure the amount of time (milliseconds) spent looking at static smoking cues in screen shots taken from e-cigarette advertisements. The amount time spent looking at a smoking cue is a measure how much attention was given to the smoking cue. The longer the looking time, the greater amount of attention.
Time frame: approximately 30 minutes post intervention
Implicit Positive Vaping Expectancies, Measured by the Implicit Association Test
Scores are measured by recording the amount of time (milliseconds) it takes to categorize vaping-related words with positive (e.g., cool) and negative (e.g., cancer) words. Faster reaction times when categorizing smoking-related words with positive words is evidence of higher positive smoking expectancies.
Time frame: within 5 minutes post intervention
| Milestone | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 86 | 41 |
| Completed | 86 | 41 |
| Not completed | 0 | 0 |
Scores are measured by recording the amount of time (milliseconds) it takes to categorize smoking-related words with positive (e.g., cool) and negative (e.g., cancer) words. Faster reaction times when categorizing smoking-related words with positive words is evidence of higher positive smoking expectancies.
| milliseconds | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Implicit Positive Smoking Expectancies, Measured by the Implicit Association Test | 1072.96 ± 171.91 | 1029.87 ± 108.60 |
Eye-tracking will be used to measure the amount of time (milliseconds) spent looking at static smoking cues in screen shots taken from e-cigarette advertisements. The amount time spent looking at a smoking cue is a measure how much attention was given to the smoking cue. The longer the looking time, the greater amount of attention.
| milliseconds | E-cigarette ad Exposure |
|---|---|
| Amount of Time Spent Looking at Static Smoking Cues in E-cigarette Advertisements | 972.34 ± 581.76 |
Scores are measured by recording the amount of time (milliseconds) it takes to categorize vaping-related words with positive (e.g., cool) and negative (e.g., cancer) words. Faster reaction times when categorizing smoking-related words with positive words is evidence of higher positive smoking expectancies.
| milliseconds | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Implicit Positive Vaping Expectancies, Measured by the Implicit Association Test | 1001.37 ± 114.74 | 1029.86 ± 108.60 |
Collected over Adverse event data was not collected for this study.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-cigarette ad Exposure | — | — | — |
| Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | — | — | — |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 86 | 41 | 127 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| >=65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Age, Continuous(years) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 15.04 ± 1.01 | 15.36 ± 1.20 | 15.15 ± 1.08 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 43 | 24 | 67 |
| Male | 42 | 16 | 58 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 85 | 41 | 126 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| White | 74 | 41 | 115 |
| More than one race | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Region of Enrollment(Participants) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 86 | 41 | 127 |
| Positive smoking expectancies(units on a scale) | E-cigarette ad Exposure | Non E-cigarette ad Exposure | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 0.88 ± 1.33 | 0.68 ± 1.13 | 0.83 ± 1.30 |
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Trustees of Dartmouth College