Cigarette and E-cigarette Flavors Manipulations in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

NCT05110872 | Completed Results DMC

• 2 other identifiers: VT IRB# 20-827P01CA217806
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 302
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This is a one-session study that participants complete remotely including consent, Experimental Tobacco Marketplace purchases, and assessments to examine the effects of cigarette and e-cigarette flavors on cigarette demand and substitution in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace.

Conditions

Tobacco Use Disorder

Keywords

Cigarette; E-cigarette; Behavioral Economics; Tobacco Control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Spent the Budget on E-cigarettes for Each Condition

  Participants will complete purchasing trials in an Experimental Tobacco Marketplace (ETM) with cigarettes increasing in price. Product availability in the ETM depended on the experimental condition. The average percentage of budget spent on e-cigarettes as a function of the restriction of cigarettes and/or e-cigarettes will be assessed.

  1 day

• Spent Budget on Cigarettes for Each Condition

  Participants will complete purchasing trials in an Experimental Tobacco Marketplace (ETM) with cigarettes increasing in price. Product availability in the ETM depended on the experimental condition. The average percentage of the budget spent on cigarettes as a function of the restriction of cigarettes and/or e-cigarettes will be assessed.

  1 day

Study Arms (2)

Menthol cigarette smokers

EXPERIMENTAL

Adults (21 y.o. and older) who smoke ate least 10 menthol cigarettes per day will be recruited.

Behavioral: Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted

Non-menthol cigarette smokers

EXPERIMENTAL

Adults (21 y.o. and older) who smoke ate least 10 non-menthol cigarettes per day will be recruited.

Behavioral: Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted; Behavioral: Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted

Interventions

Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted BEHAVIORAL

1. Tobacco cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace 2. Tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Menthol cigarette smokers; Non-menthol cigarette smokers

Cigarette flavor restricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted BEHAVIORAL

1. Tobacco cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace 2. Tobacco-flavored and a range of flavored e-cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Menthol cigarette smokers; Non-menthol cigarette smokers

Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor restricted BEHAVIORAL

1. Tobacco and menthol cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace 2. Tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Menthol cigarette smokers; Non-menthol cigarette smokers

Cigarette flavor unrestricted and e-cigarette flavor unrestricted BEHAVIORAL

1. Tobacco and menthol cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace 2. Tobacco-flavored and a range of flavored e-cigarettes will be available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Menthol cigarette smokers; Non-menthol cigarette smokers

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• currently smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day
• have smoked at least 100 cigarettes (lifetime), and
• are 21 years of age or older.

You may not qualify if:

• inaccurate identification of usual brand of cigarette's as menthol or non-menthol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: lead
• University of Minnesota: collaborator
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tobacco Use Disorder; Vaping

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Freitas-Lemos
• Organization: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion

rflemos@vtc.vt.edu

540-526-2106

Study Officials

• Warren K Bickel, Ph.D.

  Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: The study design included automated randomization of the conditions per person at the time of completion, via Qualtrics Software.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Participants will complete different purchasing scenarios in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace in which different cigarette and e-cigarette flavors are available. In all scenarios, a range of other tobacco products will also be available.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 11, 2021
• First Posted: November 8, 2021
• Study Start: July 26, 2021
• Primary Completion: August 13, 2021
• Study Completion: August 13, 2021
• Last Updated: October 7, 2025
• Results First Posted: October 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)