Chewing Gum for Smoking Cessation

NCT06801860 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: Chew-to-Quit
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this trial is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of chewing gum to reduce cigarette consumption and promote smoking cessation. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do participants in the intervention group report a higher reduction in cigarette consumption, improved smoking cessation outcomes, and healthier oral health than the control group? Researchers will compare chewing gum intervention to unassisted quitting to see if chewing gum works to cigarette reduction and smoking cessation. Participants will:

1. 1.Receive very brief smoking cessation advice and booklet at baseline.
2. 2.Take chewing gum or unassisted quitting for 1 week.

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Keywords

Chewing gum; Behavioral intervention; Smoking cessation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Validated abstinence

  Biochemically validated smoking abstinence will be measured by saliva cotinine level (exhaled carbon monoxide \<4 ppm and salivary cotinine \<30 ng/ml)

  6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Number of pieces used

  2-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups

• Frequency of use

  2-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups

• Duration of use

  2-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups

• Health effect

  2-week, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups

• The biochemically validated smoking abstinence

  6-month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Chewing gum

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive 1-2 packs of chewing gum over a 1-week intervention period. They will also receive a leaflet of usage tips for chewing gum, including 1) the potential benefits of chewing gum, 2) suitable usage time and dosage, and 3) the proper disposal of used gum.Additionally, participants in the intervention group will receive 2-week reminder message to boost gum usage.

Behavioral: Very brief smoking cessation advice; Behavioral: Chewing gum; Behavioral: Chewing gum usage leaflet; Behavioral: 2-week reminder message

Unassisted quitting

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the unassisted quitting group (control group) will receive very brief smoking cessation advice (30 seconds) and a smoking cessation information booklet at baseline.

Behavioral: Very brief smoking cessation advice

Interventions

Very brief smoking cessation advice BEHAVIORAL

All participants will receive very brief smoking cessation advice (guided by the AWARD model, assess, warning, refer, and do-it-again) with a smoking cessation information booklet onsite at baseline.

Chewing gum; Unassisted quitting

Chewing gum BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive 1-2 packs of chewing gum over a 1-week intervention period.

Chewing gum

Chewing gum usage leaflet BEHAVIORAL

A leaflet of usage tips for chewing gum, including 1) the potential benefits of chewing gum, 2) suitable usage time and dosage, and 3) the proper disposal of used gum.

Chewing gum

2-week reminder message BEHAVIORAL

A 2-week reminder message guided by the Love and Care approach will be delivered to participants twice a week (a total of four).

Chewing gum

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Residents of Hong Kong aged 18 or above
• Smoking at least 1 cigarette per day over the past 3 months
• Have the habit of chewing gum or are willing to use chewing gum
• Participants who can communicate in Cantonese (including reading Chinese)
• Expressing an intention to quit or reduce smoking
• Capable of using instant messaging tools (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat) for communication

You may not qualify if:

• Having communication barriers (either physical or cognitive)
• Currently participating in other smoking cessation programs or services

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Hong Kong: lead

Study Sites (1)

School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Pokfulam, 999077, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Interventions

Chewing Gum

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Health Behavior; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Plant Gums; Biopolymers; Polymers; Macromolecular Substances; Polysaccharides; Carbohydrates; Plant Exudates; Biological Products; Complex Mixtures; Candy; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2025
• First Posted: January 30, 2025
• Study Start: February 11, 2025
• Primary Completion: September 26, 2025
• Study Completion: October 30, 2025
• Last Updated: December 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (1)