Development of a Mobile Health Intervention for Electronic Cigarette Use Among Young Adults (EQUIP)

April 24, 2026 updated by: University of Chicago
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) use remains prevalent among young adults, and many have high interest in quitting, yet research on effective intervention is lacking. A mobile health (mHealth) intervention that translates effective smoking cessation materials and pharmacotherapy may be a promising avenue for intervention. The initial phase of the proposed study uses a pilot study to evaluate a novel mHealth intervention for young adult ENDS and dual product (ENDS and combustible cigarette) users.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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.
46

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.
  • Not Applicable

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
        • Recruiting
        • University of Chicago BREATHE Laboratory
        • Contact:

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18-26 years old, ability to understand the English language, willing and able to provide informed consent
  2. Current ENDS user (at least 4 out of 7 days per week of use for the past one month); for focus groups, at least half of participants will report current cigarette smoking (at least 1 cigarette per day on at least 1 day per week in the past month)
  3. Report interest in quitting or reducing ENDS (at least 6/10 scale in interest of quitting or reducing
  4. Does not currently (in past one year) meet criteria for major psychiatric disorder including severe alcohol or substance use disorder (excluding tobacco use disorder), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder
  5. For women, not currently pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding due to lack of information on ENDS use and possible harms from NRT during pregnancy
  6. Not currently using smoking cessation medication (i.e., Varenicline, Bupropion
  7. No history of adverse reactions to nicotine replacement therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Does not own a mobile phone or is unwilling to receive text messages to their device
  2. No interest in quitting or reducing use of ENDS
  3. Uses electronic cigarettes less than 4 days per week in the past month
  4. Reports past-year serious psychiatric illness, including severe alcohol or substance use disorder (excluding tobacco use disorder), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder
  5. Is currently using smoking cessation medication including Varenicline or Bupropion
  6. Are a female who is currently pregnant or nursing or planning to become pregnant within the next 6 months

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.
Experimental: mobile health (mHealth)
Participants in this arm will receive a 6-week mHealth message based intervention through their smartphone. They will also have the option of requesting free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) throughout the treatment period.
Behavioral: EQUIP
The intervention is delivered directly to participants' mobile phones using the Insight® platform, which allows for the implementation of assessments and interventions. Insight has been used in prior mHealth studies and allows for the delivery of tailored content based on parameters, such as intervention stage. The intervention has two stages: 1) Motivational enhancement (weeks 1-2) and 2) Skills and information (weeks 3-6). The first stage of messages will utilize personalized feedback and motivational interviewing prompts, while the second stage will provide health information on ENDS and skills, such as deep breathing. Content is tailored to motivation level (low/medium or high) and dual use status.
Active Comparator: Standard care
Participants in this arm will receive a 5-10 minute walk-through of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) and tobacco education and skills based on the most recent evidence. They will also have the options of requesting a sample of NRT.
Behavioral: Standard Care
Those in the standard advice group will be given offered a sample of NRT, instruction on its use, and will be encouraged to use in conjunction with standard web-based resources on ENDS and cessation over the course of a ten minute walk-through with study staff.

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
ENDS cessation
Time Frame: post-treatment (6 weeks) and at 6-week follow-up (week 12).
ENDS cessation will be measured using a modified Timeline Followback Interview using 7-day point prevalence abstinence with study staff and then confirmed via a mailed saliva cotinine test.
post-treatment (6 weeks) and at 6-week follow-up (week 12).

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
ENDS use
Time Frame: post-treatment (6 weeks) and at 6-week follow-up (week 12).
Frequency of ENDS use as determined by Timeline Followback Interview with study staff will be measured as a secondary outcome.
post-treatment (6 weeks) and at 6-week follow-up (week 12).

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.
University of Chicago

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 25, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 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).
April 26, 2024

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.
April 26, 2024

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.
May 2, 2024

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.
April 27, 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.
April 24, 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.
January 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.
  • IRB21-1839

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Interested parties can contact the PI for access to deidentified participant data. Requests will be granted as appropriate.

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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