Understanding How Cigarette Direct Mail Marketing Influences Smoking Behaviors Among High and Low Socioeconomic Status Young Adult Smokers

NCT02974582 | Withdrawn

• 2 other identifiers: 17001517-MD-0015
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: Smoking is a major public health problem in the U.S. Almost a half a million Americans die from it in a year. One thing that contributes to why people smoke is the marketing of cigarettes. Cigarette direct mail marketing usually targets young smokers of lower socioeconomic status. Researchers want to find out more about how this kind of marketing influences smoking behavior in young people from different socioeconomic levels. Objectives: To study the effects of cigarette direct mail marketing on beliefs, responses, and arousal. To study how these things may differ among young adult smokers of high and low socioeconomic status. Eligibility: Volunteer adults ages 18 to 29 who smoke. Design: Participants will have 1 visit. Participants will be asked questions about their health and recent smoking. A nurse will check their vital signs. Participants will have a simple eye exam. They will give blood and urine samples. Participants will be connected to equipment. This will collect data while they look at pictures. Then they will have a 10-minute break. A nurse will observe them during the break. Participants will have their breath analyzed. Participants will answer questions. The topics will include: Education Job Income Family history Tobacco use Exposure to pro-smoking and anti-smoking messages History of drug and alcohol use

Conditions

Nicotine Dependence

Keywords

Cigarettes; Behaviors; Attitudes; Beliefs

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• To collect pilot data to examine the variability in beliefs, affective responses, and arousal between young adult smokers of high and low socioeconomic status.

  Measure of physiological responses.

  1 Day

• To conduct a randomized comparative trial to examine the effect of cigarette direct mail materials on beliefs, affective responses, arousal, and smoking behavior, and their variation by SES among young adult smokers.

  Measure of physiological responses.

  1 Day

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• To select cigarette direct mail marketing materials that are perceived to be similar in their persuasiveness for Part 2 of the study.

  1 Day

Study Arms (4)

1/Part 1

EXPERIMENTAL

60 Participants of high and low SES

Behavioral: Exposure to non health related images

2/Part 2 - Discount Coupons

EXPERIMENTAL

Randomized to view direct mail marketing

Behavioral: Exposure to smoking advertising with coupon

3/Part 2 - No Discount Coupons

EXPERIMENTAL

Randomized to view direct mail marketing

Behavioral: Exposure to smoking advertising without coupons

4/Part 2 - Control

EXPERIMENTAL

Randomized to view direct mail marketing

Behavioral: Exposure to non health related images

Interventions

Exposure to smoking advertising with coupon BEHAVIORAL

Direct mail marketing of smoking advertising with discount coupon

2/Part 2 - Discount Coupons

Exposure to smoking advertising without coupons BEHAVIORAL

Direct mail marketing of smoking advertising without discount coupon

3/Part 2 - No Discount Coupons

Exposure to non health related images BEHAVIORAL

Control group

1/Part 1; 4/Part 2 - Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 29 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age: 18 to 29 years, given our focus on young adults.
• Smoking status: Current smokers who report smoking every day and who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime with a breath carbon monoxide level greater than 6ppm per device guidelines
• SES: For the purpose of the study, we will use the empirical groups from our analysis of the Current Population Survey -Tobacco Use Supplement data. Two groups are chosen based on their social determinants and prevalence of smoking.
• Low SES: Young adults who do not have a four-year college degree, are not currently enrolled in a four-year college, were born in the US, and have an annual income less than $50,000. This is the group that has been shown to have the highest prevalence of smoking.
• High SES: Young adults who are currently enrolled in or graduated from a four year college. This is the group that has been shown to have the lowest prevalence of smoking.
• English proficiency: since study materials are available only in English, only participants who are able to understand English and follow instructions in English are to be enrolled.
• Cognitive ability: Able to understand and willing to sign a written informed consent document.
• General health: Participants need to be generally healthy, as defined as someone with no known significant health problems. Participants can have chronic health conditions if the condition is well managed.

You may not qualify if:

• Inability, in the judgment of the investigator, to understand and follow the requirements of the protocol.
• Currently enrolled in high school.
• Participants with eye conditions that restrict their ability to track an object with their eyes.
• Participants with myopia, hyperopia, and/or astigmatism who cannot pass a simple vision test even with corrective lenses.
• Participants with medical condition(s) that may be triggered by infrared radiation (e.g., epilepsy).
• Self-reported use of alcohol, recreational drugs or prescription medications used for recreational purposes (e.g., amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, ketamines, LSD, opiates and opioids, tranquilizers or opioid analgesics) that may influence their judgement at the time of study in the past 12 hours before the study visit.
• Participants who cannot see an object located between 15 to 27 inches away from them (the required distance between the computer screen and the participants for accurate eye-tracking), even with corrective contact lenses.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Links

• NIH Clinical Center Detailed Web Page

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tobacco Use Disorder; Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Tsz Chun Choi, Ph.D.

  National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2016
• First Posted: November 28, 2016
• Study Start: March 17, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 17, 2026
• Study Completion: March 17, 2026
• Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

US (1)