CClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03992742Updated Aug 20, 2020

Building Capacity and Promoting Smoking Cessation in the Community Via "Quit to Win" Contest 2019

An interventional study of Initial phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM) and Second phase: optional cocktail interventions (OCI) in Smoking Cessation, sponsored by The University of Hong Kong. Status unknown at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-08-20.

Sponsored by The University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Aug 2020), so the status shown — last known as Active, not recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1,200
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The present study will examine (1) effectiveness of a combined intervention of AWARD advice, active referral, instant messaging and optional cocktail intervention to increase abstinence using a sequential multiple assignment randomised trial (SMART) and (2) explore the use of CBPR model to build capacity and to engage community partners in taking on this important public health issue for sustainability in the community. In addition, a process evaluation will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the recruitment activity and how it is linked with the overall program outcomes.

Read the detailed description

Although smoking prevalence is decreasing in Hong Kong, there are still 615,000 daily cigarette smokers in Hong Kong in 2017 and half will be killed by smoking which accounts for over 7,000 deaths per year. Smoking also accounts for a large amount of medical cost, long-term care and productivity loss of US$688 million (0.6% Hong Kong GDP). Smoking is a highly addictive behavior and it is difficult for smokers with strong nicotine dependence to quit without assistance. On the other hand, reaching and helping the many smokers who have no intention to quit is a challenge, because they are unlikely to seek professional help from smoking cessation services.

The Quit and Win programme provides an opportunity to reach and encourage a large group of smokers to make quit attempt and maintain abstinence. The Quit and Win model posits that smokers participating in the contest will have higher motivation to quit with incentives and better social support. Studies have found that such quitting contests or incentive programs appeared to reach a large number of smokers and demonstrated a significantly higher quit rate for the quit and win group than for the control group.

We propose to use adaptive design for the QTW 2019 specifically a two-phase adaptive design, i.e., a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) design. Optional cocktail cessation supports will be provided based on smokers' smoking status and preference. The supports, including multimedia messages, active referral plus financial incentive, phone counseling, social support and medications, are empirically evidence-supported and most have been used in our previous QTW interventions.

Therefore, the present study will examine (1) effectiveness of a combined intervention of AWARD advice, active referral, instant messaging and optional cocktail intervention to increase abstinence using a SMART design and (2) explore the use of CBPR model to build capacity and to engage community partners in taking on this important public health issue for sustainability in the community. In addition, a process evaluation will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the recruitment activity and how it is linked with the overall program outcomes.

02

Conditions studied

  • Smoking Cessation

Keywords

  • Smoking cessation
  • Quit to Win
  • Cocktail intervention
  • SMART design
03

In context

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,262 studies on the registry; 340 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above
  • Smoke at least 1 cigarette per day in the past 3-month
  • Able to communicate in Cantonese (including reading Chinese)
  • Exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) 4 ppm or above, assessed by a validated CO Smokerlyzer.
  • Intent to quit / reduce smoking
  • Able to use instant messaging tool (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat) for communication.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Smokers who have communication barrier (either physically or cognitively)
  • Have participation in other smoking cessation programmes or services
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
1,200 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intervention Group (subgroup A+B+C)

    Personalized instant messaging (PIM) + optional cocktail interventions (OCI) + AWARD advice + referral card + warning leaflet+ COSH booklet

    Behavioral: Initial phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM) · Behavioral: Second phase: optional cocktail interventions (OCI) · Behavioral: AWARD advice · Behavioral: Warning leaflet · Behavioral: Referral card · Behavioral: COSH booklet

  • Experimental
    Control Group (subgroup D+E+F)

    Regular instant messaging (RIM) + personalized instant messaging (PIM) + AWARD advice + referral card + warning leaflet+ COSH booklet

    Behavioral: Initial phase: regular instant messaging (RIM) · Behavioral: Second phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM) · Behavioral: AWARD advice · Behavioral: Warning leaflet · Behavioral: Referral card · Behavioral: COSH booklet

Interventions

  • BehavioralInitial phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM)

    intervention Group participants will receive three months of personalized interaction through IM Apps (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat). Our counsellors will trigger the conversation and encourage the participants to set a quit day. A total of pre-set 26 messages will be sent with the schedule of once daily for 1 week (the week across the quit date), 3 times a week for 4 weeks (2 weeks each before and after the week with quit date) and once a week for remaining 7 weeks. These messages covered generic information about the benefits of quitting, methods to avoid/ manage craving or withdrawal symptoms, and encouragement to quit and use SC services. At the end of the initial phase (1-month), complete responders (quitters) will continue to receive PIM (subgroup C). Incomplete responders (smokers) will be randomized to continue PIM (subgroup B) or receive OCI (subgroup A).

  • BehavioralSecond phase: optional cocktail interventions (OCI)

    For incomplete respondents (subgroup A) randomized to OCI, the available intervention options include multi-media messages, active referral plus financial incentive, phone counseling, family/peer support and medications (NRT). Participants will be guided by cessation counsellors at 1-month follow-up telephone survey to choose any combination of OCI based on their preference. If OCI participants cannot be followed up at 1-month, they will receive multi-media messages by default.

  • BehavioralInitial phase: regular instant messaging (RIM)

    Participants enrolled in the Control Group will receive regular messages via IM services (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat) since initial contact and until 3-month after baseline with a tapering schedule: 1) Baseline to 4-week (1-month): 2 times/ week (8 in total); 2) 4-week to 12-week (2- \& 3-month): 1 time/week (8 in total). SC messages will generally include benefits of SC, encouragement on abstinence and use of SC services, tips on avoiding/ handling craving and reminder of participating in telephone follow-up. A reminder to participate in the telephone follow-up will also be sent at 1-, 2-, 3- and 6-month, making up a total of 20 messages. At the end of the initial phase (1-month), complete responders (quitters) will continue to receive RIM (subgroup F). Incomplete responders (smokers) will be second randomized to continue RIM (subgroup E) or receive PIM (subgroup D). Those who are unable to follow up at 1-month will be considered as nonresponsive to the intervention.

  • BehavioralSecond phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM)

    For incomplete responders allocated to PIM (subgroup D), participants will receive the same intervention as the Group A delivered at the initial stage. Participants will receive two months of personalized interaction through IM application. Please refer to Intervention Group "Initial phase: personalized instant messaging (PIM)" for details.

  • BehavioralAWARD advice

    Ask about smoking history, Warn about the high risk of smoking, Advise to quit as soon as possible, Refer to the smoking cessation services, and Do it again (if the smokers refused to set quit date).

    Also known as: Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer, Do-it-again

  • BehavioralWarning leaflet

    The 2-sided color printed A4 leaflet, which systematically covers the most important messages to motivate smoking cessation

    Also known as: Brief leaflet on health warning and smoking cessation

  • BehavioralReferral card

    The 3-folded "Smoking Cessation Services" card consists of brief information and highlights of existing smoking cessation services, contact methods, motivation information and strong supporting messages or slogans

    Also known as: Smoking Cessation Service Card

  • BehavioralCOSH booklet

    A general smoking cessation self-help booklet

    Also known as: COSH self-help smoking cessation booklet

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Validated abstinence of PIM + OCI vs. RIM + PIM

    PIM + OCI (subgroup A+B+C) vs. RIM + PIM (subgroup D+E+F) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml)

    Time frame: 6-month follow-up

  2. Validated abstinence of OCI vs. RIM in incomplete responders

    OCI (subgroup A) vs. RIM (subgroup E) in incomplete responders (those who are still smoking at 1-month) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml)

    Time frame: 6-month follow-up

Secondary outcomes

  1. Validated abstinence of PIM + OCI vs. RIM + PIM adjusted for potential imbalance of baseline characteristic

    PIM + OCI (subgroup A+B+C) vs. RIM + PIM (subgroup D+E+F) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) adjusted for potential imbalance of baseline characteristic.

    Time frame: 6-month follow-up

  2. Validated abstinence of OCI vs. RIM in incomplete responders adjusted for potential imbalance of baseline characteristic

    OCI (subgroup A) vs. RIM (subgroup E) in incomplete responders (those who are still smoking at 1-month) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) adjusted for potential imbalance of baseline characteristic

    Time frame: 6-month follow-up

  3. Validated and self-reported abstinence of OCI vs. PIM in incomplete responders

    OCI (subgroup A) vs. PIM (subgroup B) in incomplete responders (those who are still smoking with 1-month) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  4. Validated and self-reported abstinence of PIM vs. RIM in incomplete responders

    PIM (subgroup D) vs. RIM (subgroup E) in incomplete responders (those who are still smoking with 1-month) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  5. Validated and self-reported abstinence of PIM vs. RIM

    PIM (subgroup B+C) vs. RIM (subgroup E+F) on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  6. PIM intervention engagement on validated and self-reported abstinence

    Difference between engagement of PIM intervention vs. no engagement of PIM intervention vs. RIM intervention on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence. PIM intervention include subgroup B+C+D, RIM intervention include subgroup E+F.

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  7. OCI intervention engagement on validated and self-reported abstinence

    Difference between engagement of OCI intervention vs. no engagement of OCI intervention vs. engagement of PIM intervention vs. no engagement of PIM intervention vs. RIM intervention on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence. OCI intervention include subgroup A, PIM intervention include subgroup B+C+D, RIM intervention include subgroup E+F.

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  8. Smoking reduction rate change from baseline at 3- and 6-month follow-up

    Rate of smoking reduction by at least half of baseline amount

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  9. Smoking cessation service use

    Use of smoking cessation service

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  10. Nicotine independence (HSI) on abstinence and intervention engagement

    Subgroup analyses of high nicotine independence vs. low nicotine independence on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence, and intervention engagement (use of PIM and/or OCI intervention)

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

  11. Intention to quit analyses on abstinence and intervention engagement

    Subgroup analyses of high intention to quit vs. low intention to quit on validated abstinence (exhaled CO \< 4 ppm and salivary cotinine \< 10 ng/ml) and self-reported abstinence, and intervention engagement (use of OCI intervention and/or PIM intervention and/or RIM intervention).

    Time frame: 3- and 6-month follow-up

07

Study locations

1 site
  • School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
    Hong Kong, Hong Kong
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Zhao SZ, Weng X, Luk TT, Wu Y, Cheung DYT, Li WHC, Tong H, Lai V, Lam TH, Wang MP. Adaptive interventions to optimise the mobile phone-based smoking cessation support: study protocol for a sequential, multiple assignment, randomised trial (SMART). Trials. 2022 Aug 18;23(1):681. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06502-7. PubMed 35982468 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 20, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03992742
Lead sponsor
The University of Hong Kong
Collaborators
Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health
Responsible party
Dr. Wang Man-Ping (Assistant Professor, The University of Hong Kong) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 20, 2019
Start date
Jun 21, 2019
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2020
Completion
Jun 30, 2021 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 20, 2020

Study contacts

Man Ping Wang, PhD
principal investigator · The University of Hong Kong

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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