ClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT05994209Updated Oct 26, 2026

Testing the Feasibility and Acceptability of Social Media and Digital Therapeutics to Decrease Vaping Behaviors

A Phase 1 interventional study of quitSTART Mobile Application and Chatbot Feature in quitSTART Mobile Application in Nicotine Vaping and Nicotine Use Disorder, sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 15 Years to 25 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-26.

Sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Due to low recruitment
Updated Oct 26, 2026Now TerminatedPrimary completion moved+2 moreGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
26
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
15 Years to 25 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Use of vaping products (e.g., electronic nicotine delivery systems, e-cigarettes) has been increasing rapidly, particularly among teens and young adults. With limited information on the long-term effects of vaping products, health information about vaping has been somewhat unclear in regards to associated health risks. Teens and young adults may be reluctant to disclose their use of vaping products to parents or health providers and instead turn to social media to share and seek out information regarding vaping risks and cessation supports. Thus, our current proposal outlines the use of social media to identify teens and young adults socially networking about vaping, the use of an online chatbot screen to evaluate individual cessation support needs, and the use of a digital intervention system to support vaping cessation. The mobile intervention used in this study is based on a widely-used evidence-based mobile intervention for combustible smoking (i.e., quitSTART) and has been adapted for vaping and young adults to include an in-app chatbot to guide users to tailored content and to motivate and encourage their cessation efforts. We aim to integrate our social media recruitment and online screening approach to connect individuals with this mobile app intervention, and will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate user engagement with and preliminary efficacy of the digital intervention on reducing vaping behaviors among teens and young adults.

02

Conditions studied

  • Nicotine Vaping
  • Nicotine Use Disorder

Keywords

  • vaping
  • mobile app intervention
  • youth
  • young adults
  • chatbot
  • nicotine
  • social media
03

In context

Vaping

402 studies on the registry are indexed under Vaping; 95 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 26 is below the median of 79 across 322 interventional studies indexed under Vaping.

Browse Vaping studies →

Lead sponsor

Washington University School of Medicine is the lead sponsor of 1,803 studies on the registry; 271 are open to participants now.

Of its 329 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 216 (66%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
15 Years to 25 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility 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)
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
26 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Control Group

    Nationwide resource referral and intervention waitlist

  • Experimental
    Experimental Group A: Mobile App Intervention

    quitSTART Mobile Application Adapted for Vaping Cessation Among Young Adults

    Device: quitSTART Mobile Application

  • Experimental
    Experimental Group B: Mobile App Intervention with Embedded Chatbot Feature

    quitSTART Mobile Application Adapted for Vaping Cessation Among Young Adults Including Embedded Chatbot Feature

    Device: quitSTART Mobile Application · Behavioral: Chatbot Feature in quitSTART Mobile Application

Interventions

  • DevicequitSTART Mobile Application

    Mobile application with educational content, motivational messages, self-monitoring, and tips for managing cravings to support vaping cessation among young adults.

  • BehavioralChatbot Feature in quitSTART Mobile Application

    In-App chatbot feature emedded into quitSTART mobile application to motivate vaping cessation and support app navigation.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Vaping cessation

    Vaping cessation as assessed by 7 day self-reported vaping abstinence at follow-up. Timeline follow back procedures will be used to establish abstinence or if participants lapsed (their first instance of vaping post quit) or relapsed (vaped on 7 consecutive days) at each follow up time point.

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Nicotine dependence

    Nicotine dependence will be assessed using the 4-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months

  2. Risk perception related to vaping

    Perceived risks of vaping, both general and conditional, will be assessed with two items adapted from Wackowski et al., 2020. "How harmful, if at all, do you think vaping/using an e-cigarette is to a user's health?" (general) and "Imagine you vaped/used e-cigarettes daily for the next 10 years and used no other tobacco product. How harmful do you think this vaping would be to your health?" (conditional), both using a five-point response scale (not at all-extremely harmful).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months

  3. Intervention engagement

    Data automatically captured within the chatbot, and app platform will be used to calculate a composite measure of engagement for those randomized to each of these intervention components and will be examined as a predictor of outcomes. We will use a modified version of an app Engagement Index (EI).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine
    St Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedDate before it movedWhere the date was before it moved

Ran from Jun 2025 to primary completion in Jun 2026, 12 months.

Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 26, 2026: primary completion Dec 2026 → Jun 2026 and completion Mar 2027 → Jun 2026.

Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 8, 2023
First posted
Aug 16, 2023
StartActual
Jun 4, 2025
Primary completionActual
Jun 30, 2026was Dec 2026
CompletionActual
Jun 30, 2026was Mar 2027
Last update
Oct 26, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Status
Recruiting→Terminated Due to low recruitment
changed Oct 26, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026→Jun 30, 2026 (actual)
Oct 26, 2026
Study completion
Mar 2027→Jun 30, 2026 (actual)
Oct 26, 2026
Enrollment
189 (estimated)→26 (actual)
Oct 26, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 26, 2026
    Recruiting→Terminated
    Why stopped Due to low recruitment
    Primary completion Dec 31, 2026→Jun 30, 2026 (now actual)
    Study completion Mar 2027→Jun 30, 2026 (now actual)
    Enrollment 189 (estimated)→26 (actual)
    + 3 other changes: verification date, contact details and site details

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05994209
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 16, 2023
Start date
Jun 4, 2025
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2026
Completion
Jun 30, 2026
Last update
Oct 26, 2026

Oversight

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

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