An interventional study of Social Media Intervention in Vaping, Vaping Cessation and Nicotine Dependence, sponsored by University of California, San Francisco. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 13 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-17.
Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to pilot test feasibility and acceptability of the Quit the Hit Toolkit, a social media-based nicotine vaping cessation program for adolescents and young adults, adapted for use in community settings.
This is a single-arm pilot study testing training materials for the Quit the Hit Toolkit. Community-based coaches will be recruited then receive training on the intervention, then they will recruit and lead 5-week vaping cessation groups online.
Exclusion Criteria:
Individuals will receive training on how to implement the vaping intervention (Quit the Hit Toolkit) in their own community settings. These individuals will serve as coaches and will recruit and facilitate vaping support groups on Instagram, where group participants will receive up to 3 Instagram posts per day for 30 days. Group coaches will work with a Cessation Counselor, Principal Investigator, Co-Investigators and a Pediatrician on demand if additional expertise or clinical advice is needed. Group participants will be educated about signs of nicotine dependence and if they express interest in pharmacotherapy will be encouraged to access this through their personal healthcare providers. The Instagram groups will provide educational and social support, troubleshooting and advice about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or other forms of treatment. Groups will also include trained peer mentors to provide additional support.
Behavioral: Social Media Intervention
Social media based intervention using Instagram with up to 3 posts per day for 30 days
Number of coaches who complete training and coach a vaping cessation group for 5 weeks
Participants will be trained to serve as group coaches, implementing the intervention ("Quit the Hit Toolkit") to help teens and young adults stop vaping. Coaches will complete training and each will recruit approximately 10 participants for a vaping cessation group for 5 weeks. Investigators will track the number of coaches who successfully complete both training, recruit participants, and coach the groups for 5 weeks.
Time frame: 5 weeks
Number of participants recruited and enrolled in the pilot study
Coaches will work through their networks to recruit approximately 10 participants age 13-21 to participate in vaping cessation groups. The number of participants who qualify for the study on the study website, and the number who enroll in the study will be tracked.
Time frame: From time that coaches complete training to pilot group kickoff not greater than 4 weeks
Number of participants who complete vaping cessation group over 5 weeks
The number of participants who remain in the vaping cessation groups and like, post, or otherwise respond to the intervention posts or texts over 5 weeks, and who complete the survey at the end of the intervention will be tracked.
Time frame: From start of cessation groups to end of the intervention over 5 weeks.
Acceptability of training protocol and intervention procedures to coaches and participants measured by qualitative interviews
All coaches, peer mentors, and participants in the pilot intervention will be invited to participate in interviews or focus groups. Study investigators will solicit feedback on acceptability of the study procedures, training, recruitment, intervention experience, payment systems, and other engagement procedures.
Time frame: Following the end of pilot groups over about 2 weeks
Plan to share: No — This is limited qualitative pilot data that may not be able to be sufficiently deidentified to be ethically shared. Investigators' ability to successfully deidentify the data to protect participant privacy will dictate whether or not a de-identified dataset could be made available to other researchers.
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University of California, San Francisco