Evaluating the Efficacy of a Text Messaging-based Shisha Smoking Cessation Intervention

NCT07070154 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: SSCI-E
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 100
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a culture specific text-messaging based shisha smoking cessation intervention for young adults in Hong Kong. Participants in the intervention group will receive smartphone text messaging-based intervention and support that contained personalised messages with both text and visual elements over 6 weeks under a manualised programme. Participants in the control group will only receive a leaflet about the health risks of shisha smoking (the exact identical contents received by the participants in the intervention group at a session). All participants will complete a self-administered questionnaire at baseline, 6th- and 12th-week on their self-reported shisha abstinences, knowledge on risk, readiness to quit and attitudes on shisha smoking

Conditions

Intervention; Control

Keywords

shisha smoking; text-messaging based; cessation intervention; mHealth

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• shisha abstinences

  To compare the self-reported shisha abstinences between intervention and control group to evaluate the efficacy of the culture specific text-messaging based shisha smoking cessation intervention. Shisha abstinence is determined by self-reported last use 1) in the past 7 days using the Timeline Followback Method for active use, 2) in the past 30 days to determine current use, and 3) in the past 90 days to determine early remission in accordance with the criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th Edition.

  From enrollment, 6-week (after treatment) and 12-week follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Level of dependency

  From enrolment, 6-week (after treatment) and 12-week follow-up

• Knowledge on risk

  From enrolment, 6-week (after treatment) and 12-week follow-up

• Readiness to quit

  From enrolment, 6-week (after treatment) and 12-week follow-up

• Attitudes on shisha smoking

  From enrolment, 6-week (after treatment) and 12-week follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive smartphone text messaging-based intervention and support that contained personalised messages with both text and visual elements over 6 weeks under a manualised programme. The contents of the messages within the intervention is developed based on the results of a Delphi study that identified 32 behaviour change techniques by 46 tobacco/ substance use control policy experts and mental health professionals in Hong Kong.

Behavioral: text-messaging based intervention

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group will only receive a leaflet about the health risks of shisha smoking in either Chinese or English. The information of the leaflet will be with the exact identical contents on the leaflet received by the participants in the intervention group at Session 2.

Interventions

text-messaging based intervention BEHAVIORAL

The 6-week, culture specific, text-messaging based cessation intervention for young adults in Hong Kong consists of 6 sessions: 1) Programme overview, 2) Psychoeducation on the health risks, 3) Social support, 4) Stress management, 5) Craving and withdrawal symptoms management, and 6) Summary and relapse prevention.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• young adults aged 18 to 35 years who are interested in quitting shisha
• smoked shisha within the 30 days at the time of enrolment (current smoker)
• smoked for more than twelve times in 12 months (i.e., on a monthly basis)22
• able to read and communicate in Chinese or English
• agree to utilise his/her own personal mobile or smartphone to send and receive messages

You may not qualify if:

• scored 10 (''have already quitted'') on Contemplation Ladder assessment at baseline
• unable to provide consent
• unable to read and communicate in Chinese or English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Hong Kong: lead

Study Sites (1)

Room 212, New Clinical Building, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road

Hong Kong, 0000000, Hong Kong

Location

Study Officials

• Johnson Kai Chun Law, MSc

  The University of Hong Kong

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Johnson Kai Chun Law, MSc

CONTACT

+85266703003; u3009145@connect.hku.hk

Albert Kar Kin Chung, MBBS(HK) & FHKCPsych

CONTACT

+85260440993; chungkka@hku.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Mr

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2025
• First Posted: July 17, 2025
• Study Start: July 20, 2025
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Last Updated: July 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: The dataset will be available from May 2026 for 5 years following the principles from the HKSAR Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) and the principles from the Policy on the Management of Research Data and Records, the University of Hong Kong.
• Access Criteria: The IPD and supporting information will be available from the PI of this study Mr Law Kai Chun Johnson upon reaonalbe request.

Locations

HK (1)