Using Group Commitment for Smoking Cessation

NCT01311115 | Completed Results

• 3 other identifiers: 2010-04-12692P30AG012839-16R21HD056581
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 201
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study proposes a novel behavioral intervention to help smokers in Thailand to achieve their goals of quitting. Smoking treatment programs are rare throughout most of Asia and unlikely to meet the impending demand for quitting that tobacco control regulations is stimulating. New approaches are needed. The present study is a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a novel, scalable approach to smoking cessation that is targeted toward rural Southeast Asian communities. Thailand is used as a test case to explore if pairs of smokers quit successfully after making financially-backed commitments and receiving cash incentives to quit. The control group receives education and counseling about quitting. In addition to education and counseling about quitting, the intervention includes two key components:

1. 1.Each participant is encouraged to deposit his "cigarette money" on a weekly basis, to be returned only if the smoker quits successfully within three months. Such commitment contracts, based on theory from behavioral economics, are designed to help a person to maintain self-control and motivation in the face of temptation.
2. 2.Each participant is paired with another study participant. If both quit, each receives a cash bonus. The joint incentives are designed to lead partners to support each other throughout the quit attempt.

Conditions

Smoking

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Smoking Status at 6 Months

  7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence measured 6 months after enrollment, using a NicCheck urine cotinine test. Participants who self-report having smoked in the last 7 days, as part of the follow-up survey, are considered to be continuing smokers.

  6 months after enrollment

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Concordance of Smoking Status Between Partners at 6 Months

  6 months after enrollment

• Smoking Status at 3 Months

  3 months after enrollment

• Concordance of Smoking Status Between Partners at 3 Months

  3 months after enrollment

• Smoking Status at 14 Months

  14 months after enrollment

Study Arms (2)

Group commitment contracts

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to education and counseling, the intervention includes the following components: 1. Each participant is encouraged to deposit his "cigarette money" on a weekly basis, to be returned only if the smoker quits successfully within three months. 2. The project gives a series of two matching contributions of 150 baht each to participants who meet certain deposit requirements. 3. Each participant is paired with another study participant. If both quit, each receives a cash bonus of 1,200 baht. At enrollment, pairs receive brief counseling on ways to support each other during the quit attempt.

Behavioral: Group commitment contract; Behavioral: Smoking cessation education and counseling

Education and counseling

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this group receive educational pamphlets about quitting smoking and one-time, group counseling from a nurse trained in smoking cessation counseling.

Behavioral: Smoking cessation education and counseling

Interventions

Group commitment contract BEHAVIORAL

1. Each participant is required to deposit at least 50 baht at enrollment. A deposit collector visits each participant on a weekly basis and collects additional deposits on a voluntary basis. All deposits are returned only if the smoker quits successfully within three months. 2. The project gives a matching contribution of 150 baht for the initial deposit of at least 50 baht. All participants in the treatment group are further randomized to a one-month group and a three-month group. The one-month group receives an additional 150 baht of project funds if they deposit 100 baht of their money within one month of enrollment. The three-month group receives 150 baht for depositing 100 baht within three months of enrollment. 3. Each participant is paired with another study participant. If both quit, each receives a cash bonus of 1,200 baht. At enrollment, pairs receive brief counseling on ways to support each other during the quit attempt.

Also known as: Commitment contract, Deposit contract, Contingency contract, Buddy intervention, Partner intervention

Group commitment contracts

Smoking cessation education and counseling BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive educational pamphlets on reasons to quit smoking and strategies for quitting smoking. They also receive one-time, group counseling on quitting smoking from a nurse trained in smoking cessation counseling.

Also known as: Smoking cessation counseling

Education and counseling; Group commitment contracts

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Current smoker of at least 10 cigarettes per week and at least 100 cigarettes over the course of a lifetime
• Residents of the study area in Nakhon Nayok province, which includes the six subdistricts of Klong Yai, Chumpon, Bueng San, Pak Phli, Khao Phoem, or Ongkharak

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnant
• Plans to leave the study area within the next 12 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Berkeley: lead
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator
• Srinakharinwirot University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Srinakharinwirot University

Ongkharak, Changwat Nakhon Nayok, 26120, Thailand

Location

Related Publications (1)

• White JS, Dow WH, Rungruanghiranya S. Commitment contracts and team incentives: a randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation in Thailand. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Nov;45(5):533-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.06.020.

  PMID: 24139765 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Smoking

Interventions

Counseling

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Health Services; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Community Health Services; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Justin White
• Organization: University of California, San Francisco

Justin.White@ucsf.edu

415-476-8045

Study Officials

• Justin S White, MA, MSPH

  University of California at Berkeley

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• William H Dow, PhD

  University of California at Berkeley

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Suthat Rungruanghiranya, MD

  Srinakharinwirot University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Henry J. Kaiser Professor of Health Economics

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2011
• First Posted: March 9, 2011
• Study Start: November 1, 2010
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2011
• Study Completion: March 1, 2012
• Last Updated: September 15, 2022
• Results First Posted: September 15, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-08

Locations

TH (1)