E-cigarette Harm Reduction Among PLWHA in South Africa

June 5, 2026 updated by: NYU Langone Health

Evaluating Smoking Cessation and Harm Reduction Approaches Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in South Africa

The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial study aims to address the unmet need for feasible and efficacious strategies for reducing combustible cigarette (CC) use among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in South Africa, which has the potential to significantly improve the health and long-term survival of PLWHA CC smokers. Using the proposed intervention, based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB), and a simultaneous embedded mixed methods approach, the investigators will evaluate a telehealth program targeting CC harm reduction, comparing E-cigarettes (EC) to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) that is enhanced by integrating ecological momentary intervention (EMI) texting. As such, this proposal will significantly build research capacity in South Africa to conduct telehealth tobacco treatment interventions using innovative EMI approaches enhancing participants' engagement, as well as state-of-the art evaluation approaches.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
106

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • South Africa
      • Cape Town, South Africa, 7501
        • South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult PLWHA CC smokers;
  • Speaks Afrikaans, or Xhosa, or English;
  • reports daily CC smoking (≥ 5 CPD);
  • Owns any type of mobile phone;
  • interested in reducing CC smoking but not necessarily trying to quit;
  • Receives HIV/AIDS care in one of the eight selected clinics follow-up rates.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • are pregnant or breastfeeding;
  • unable to provide consent;
  • used tobacco products other than CC in the past 2 weeks (e.g., EC, cigarillo);
  • currently engaged in an attempt to quit CC smoking;
  • current major depressive or manic episode, current psychotic disorder, past-year suicide attempt, or current suicidal ideation with plan or intent. plan or intent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Control (Quit-Line Referral)
Participants will receive referral to the existing South African Quitline. Participants will receive information to contact the Quitline if participants so choose, in addition to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) texting orientation.
Behavioral: Counseling
Each participant will receive up to 5-motivational counseling sessions. The first session will also include orientation of EMA/EMI texting.
Experimental: Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
In addition to phone counseling + ecological momentary intervention (EMI) texting, participants will receive combination NRT (daily patches and lozenges).
Behavioral: Counseling
Each participant will receive up to 5-motivational counseling sessions. The first session will also include orientation of EMA/EMI texting.
Other: Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT (daily patches and lozenges). NRT strength will be according to the established dosing guidelines for tobacco treatment. NRT is the standard of care in tobacco treatment and helped reduce CPD in prior trials
Experimental: Electronic Cigarette (EC)
In conjunction with phone counseling + EMI texting, participants will receive the VUSE "Solo" EC.
Behavioral: Counseling
Each participant will receive up to 5-motivational counseling sessions. The first session will also include orientation of EMA/EMI texting.
Other: E-Cigarette (EC)
EC with single-use pods. Nicotine - 48 mg/ ml (4.8% nicotine) concentration.
Other Names:
  • Vuse Solo EC

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Recruitment Rate
Time Frame: Up to Month 6
Defined as the total number of participants recruited divided by the maximum number of recruiting sites, then divided by the total number of months that the trial recruited for.
Up to Month 6
Percent of Patients who Enroll in Counseling
Time Frame: Up to Month 6
Defined as the percentage of participants who start the intervention counseling sessions.
Up to Month 6
Follow-Up Rate at 3 Months
Time Frame: Month 3
Defined as the percent of participants who completed the 3-month follow-up.
Month 3
Follow-Up Rate at 6 Months
Time Frame: Month 6
Defined as the percent of participants who completed the 6-month follow-up.
Month 6
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) Score
Time Frame: Week 8
8-item assessment of satisfaction with the intervention. The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 8 to 32, with higher numbers indicating greater satisfaction.
Week 8
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) Score
Time Frame: Month 3
8-item assessment of satisfaction with the intervention. The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 8 to 32, with higher numbers indicating greater satisfaction.
Month 3

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percentage of Participants who Achieve 7-Day Point Prevalence Abstinence.
Time Frame: Month 3
Abstinence will be verified by exhaled carbon monoxide and defined as no combustible cigarette use in the last 7 days.
Month 3
Percentage of Participants who achieve 50% Reduction in Cigarettes Per Day (CPD), compared with Baseline
Time Frame: Up to Month 6
CPD will be self-reported.
Up to Month 6
Change in American Thoracic Society Questionnaire Score
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 6
Change in American Thoracic Questionnaire Score from Baseline to Week 12 8-item questionnaire assessing general thoracic pain. Items are rated on a Likert scale from 1 (never) to 5 (every day). The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 8-40; higher scores indicate more severe impact of general thoracic pain.
Baseline, Month 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
NYU Langone Health

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Fogarty International Center of the National Institute of Health

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Omar El-Shahawy, NYU Langone Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 24, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 19, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 4, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 4, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 22-00868

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The de-identified participant data from the final research dataset used in the published manuscript will be shared upon reasonable request or for individual participant data meta-analysis beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research provided the investigator who proposes to use the data or the researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal execute a data use agreement with NYU Langone Health. Requests may be directed to: Omar.ElShahawy@nyulangone.org. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be made available on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or as a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The investigator who proposed to use the data or the researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal will be granted access upon reasonable request or for individual participant data meta-analysis. Requests should be directed to Omar.ElShahawy@nyulangone.org. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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