Robot-Assisted Immersive Escape Room Game for Tobacco Harm Prevention Among Elementary School Students

NCT07501572 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: 202504HM004
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a robot-assisted immersive escape room intervention for tobacco harm prevention among upper-grade elementary school students. A total of 200 fifth- and sixth-grade students from elementary schools in New Taipei City, Taiwan, will participate in this quasi-experimental, parallel-group design. Participants will be allocated non-randomly to either the experimental group, which receives the robot-assisted immersive escape room intervention, or the active comparator group, which receives standard classroom-based tobacco harm prevention education. In the experimental arm, an educational robot named "Anti-Smoking Kebbi" serves as a non-player character (NPC) to facilitate human-robot interaction through puzzle-solving and scenario-based learning focused on e-cigarette and tobacco hazards. Both groups will be assessed using validated questionnaires at three time points: baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up. Primary and secondary outcome measures will include changes in tobacco harm knowledge, health beliefs, smoking refusal self-efficacy, extended expectation confirmation, learning engagement, behavioral intention, and advocacy intention.

Conditions

Tobacco Use

Keywords

Educational Robot; Human-Robot Interaction; Escape Room Learning; Tobacco Prevention; E-cigarette Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Tobacco Harm Knowledge

  This study adapted the Tobacco Harm Knowledge Scale from the Youth Smoking Behavior Survey Questionnaire (Health Promotion Administration, 2021). The scale covers e-cigarette components, legal regulations, and health impacts to assess students' understanding of basic tobacco knowledge gained from the curriculum. The 10-item scale uses objective scoring (1 point for correct answers, 0 points for incorrect or "don't know" responses) and demonstrates acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.66).

  Baseline (pre-intervention), immediately post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Change in Health Beliefs About Tobacco Use

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up.

• Change in Smoking Refusal Self-Efficacy

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up.

• Extended Expectation Confirmation

  Baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up.

• Learning Engagement

  Immediately post-intervention.

• Behavioral Intention

  Immediately post-intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Robot-Assisted Immersive Escape Room Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Students participate in a 60-minute robot-assisted immersive escape room intervention designed to prevent e-cigarette use. The program uses the "Anti-Smoking Kebbi" robot as a non-player character (NPC) to guide students through interactive puzzles and scenario-based tasks that teach the health risks of e-cigarette use and strategies for tobacco prevention.

Behavioral: Robot-assisted Immersive Escape Room Game

Traditional Tobacco Harm Prevention Education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Students receive a 60-minute traditional health education session on tobacco and e-cigarette harms delivered by trained teachers using lectures, slides, and classroom discussion, consistent with standard school-based health education practices.

Behavioral: Traditional Tobacco Harm Prevention Education

Interventions

Robot-assisted Immersive Escape Room Game BEHAVIORAL

Students participate in a 60-minute robot-assisted immersive escape room designed to prevent e-cigarette use. The session is facilitated by the educational robot "Anti-Smoking Kebbi," which acts as a non-player character (NPC) guiding students through interactive puzzles and scenario-based challenges. The activity integrates human-robot interaction and gamified learning strategies to teach the health risks of e-cigarette use and tobacco prevention concepts. The intervention is delivered once in a classroom setting.

Robot-Assisted Immersive Escape Room Intervention

Traditional Tobacco Harm Prevention Education BEHAVIORAL

Students receive a 60-minute standard classroom-based health education session on tobacco and e-cigarette harms delivered by trained teachers. The session uses lectures, presentation slides, and guided discussion to introduce the health risks of tobacco and e-cigarette use and strategies for prevention. The intervention is delivered once in a classroom setting.

Traditional Tobacco Harm Prevention Education

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Fifth or sixth grade students from elementary schools in New Taipei City
• Age 10-12 years
• Written consent from parent/guardian
• Verbal assent from student
• Able to understand Chinese questionnaires

You may not qualify if:

• Prior participation in tobacco harm education trials
• History of tobacco-related allergies
• Unable to complete questionnaires
• Parental refusal to participate

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Taiwan Normal University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Shuangfeng Elementary School, New Taipei City

New Taipei City, Xindian District, 231040, Taiwan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tobacco Use

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Jong-Long Guo

  National Taiwan Normal University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: "None (Open Label): No masking due to the distinct nature of interventions (robot-assisted immersive escape room vs. traditional health education). Both participants and study personnel are aware of group allocation in this quasi-experimental design."
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: A quasi-experimental parallel-group study conducted in six elementary schools in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Three schools were assigned to the experimental group receiving a robot-assisted immersive escape room intervention for e-cigarette harm prevention, while three matched schools served as the control group receiving standard health education. Pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up assessments were conducted using structured questionnaires.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2026
• First Posted: March 30, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion: June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TW (1)