MiQuit Trial: Tailored Text Messages for Pregnant Women (MiQuit)

Evaluation of a Tailored Text Message Intervention for Pregnant Smokers (MiQuit): a Pilot Trial

The overall aim of the study is to estimate the likely impact of the MiQuit text message based smoking cessation service for pregnant smokers and to establish robust estimates for the key factors which would be required in order to design a larger definitive trial of this intervention(MiQuit).

These key factors include: the range of recruitment rates in different centres; quit rates amongst participants; feasibility of assessing smoking status of participants in later pregnancy; and the likely effect of MiQuit when women are offered this in National Health Service (NHS) settings.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking; Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: MiQuit

Detailed Description

Epidemiological evidence indicates that smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of many pregnancy related complications and is associated with many adverse postnatal problems. Around 15% of women still smoke throughout their pregnancy; younger women and those from more deprived backgrounds are much more likely to smoke. Behavioural support, available through NHS Stop Smoking Services, is effective but only accessed by a minority of smokers with most trying to quit alone. For this large group, self-help interventions may be an effective alternative.

MiQuit is a 12 week tailored, self-help, text-message intervention developed for pregnant smokers. A pilot study found this was feasible and acceptable for recipients, thus if MiQuit could have such an impact in routine NHS care, its low cost would make it highly cost-effective.

Before MiQuit could be used in routine care, a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) would be needed but currently there is insufficient information to justify conducting this.

This pilot trial will investigate whether it is possible to evaluate MiQuit in a multi-centre RCT located within the NHS, using research network resources. This study will recruit 400 pregnant smokers who will be randomly allocated to either MiQuit or control, and will provide estimates for the parameters required for determining the necessary resources for a definitive trial. These include: the range of recruitment rates in different centres; quit rates amongst participants; feasibility of assessing smoking status of trial participants in later pregnancy and ascertainment rates obtained; and the likely effect of MiQuit when women are offered this in NHS settings.

Secondary objectives include; To estimate and model the likely effectiveness and cost effectiveness of MiQuit compared with usual care including a generic smoking cessation information leaflet; To document participants' use of MiQuit interactive features and of NHS cessation support; To assess the effect of MiQuit on social cognitive determinants of quitting smoking and; To explore participant views and experiences of using MiQuit.

The participants will be recruited before 25 weeks gestation when they attend NHS hospital clinics for routine antenatal ultrasound scans. Recruitment will take place in around 12 United Kingdom (UK) centres over a 12 month period. Follow-up will be via telephone at 1 month after randomization and again at week 36 gestation. The follow-up is over a 9 month period. If a participant reports they have stopped smoking, this "quit" will be validated with a exhaled Carbon Monoxide (CO) measurement and/or salivary cotinine measurement.

A small number of semi-structured telephone interviews will be carried out with a selection of participants from the MiQuit arm to explore their views and experience of the intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 407
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Birmingham, United Kingdom, B9 5SS
    • Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
  • Manchester, United Kingdom, M13 9WL
    • Central Manchester University Hosptitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Stafford, United Kingdom, ST16 3SA
    • University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust
  • Cheshire
    • Crewe, Cheshire, United Kingdom, CW1 4QJ
      • Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Derbyshire
    • Chesterfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, S44 5BL
      • Chesterfield Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
    • Derby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, DE22 3NE
      • Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Lincolnshire
    • Boston, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, PE21 9QS
      • United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
    • Lincoln, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, LN12 5QY
      • United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Nottinghamshire
    • Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG5 1PB
      • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, City Hospital
    • Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG7 2UH
      • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, QMC
    • Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, NG17 4JL
      • Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Staffordshire
    • Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom, ST4 6QG
      • University Hospital of North Staffordhsire NHS Trust
  • W Midlands
    • Birmingham, W Midlands, United Kingdom, B15 2TG
      • Birmingham Womens NHS Foundation Trust
  • West Midlands
    • Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom, B18 7QH
      • Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
    • Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom, DY1 2HQ
      • The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant and less than 25 weeks gestation
• Smoking at least 5 cigarettes per day pre-pregnancy
• Smoking at least 1 cigarette on a typical day during pregnancy
• Aged 16 or over
• Agrees to accept information to assist cessation
• Has own or has primary use of a mobile phone
• Familiar with sending and receiving text messages
• Able to understand written English (text messages are in English only) and consent issues explained in English.
• Able to give informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

•Already enrolled in another text service to assist smoking cessation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MiQuit; 12 weeks of MiQuit text support plus a standard NHS leaflet giving information and advice on stopping smoking in addition to usual care	Behavioral: MiQuit; MiQuit is an automated responsive text message support programme lasting 12 weeks which provides tailored smoking cessation support and advice to the participant's mobile phone. This support includes motivational messages, advice about preparing for a quit attempt, how to manage cravings and withdrawal, dealing with trigger situations, information about how smoking affects babies and general encouragement.
No Intervention: Control; Usual care plus the same standard NHS leaflet giving information and advice on stopping smoking

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Continuous Abstinence From Smoking Reported From 4 Weeks Post-randomisation Until Late Pregnancy, Biochemically Validated at Late Pregnancy.	The primary smoking outcome measure will be the number of participants reporting continuous abstinence from smoking from 4 weeks after randomisation until follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), validated by exhaled CO and/or saliva cotinine estimation at approximately 36 weeks gestation.	36 weeks gestation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Continuous Abstinence From Smoking Reported From 4 Weeks Post-randomisation Until Late Pregnancy, Self-report.	The number of participants reporting continuous abstinence from smoking from 4 weeks after randomisation until follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), self-reported.	36 weeks gestation
7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking Reported at Late Pregnancy, Self-report.	The number of participants reporting 7-day abstinence from smoking at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), self-reported.	36 weeks gestation
7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking Reported at Late Pregnancy, Biochemically Validated.	The number of participants reporting 7-day abstinence from smoking at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), validated by exhaled CO and/or saliva cotinine estimation.	36 weeks gestation
7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking Reported at 4 Weeks Post-randomization, Self-report.	The number of participants reporting 7-day abstinence from smoking at 4 weeks after randomisation, self-reported.	4 weeks post-randomisation
7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking Reported at Both 4 Weeks Post-randomization and at Late Pregnancy, Self-report.	The number of participants reporting 7-day abstinence from smoking at both 4 weeks after randomisation and at follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), self-reported.	36 weeks gestation
7-day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking Reported at Both 4 Weeks Post-randomization and at Late Pregnancy, Biochemically Validated at Late Pregnancy.	The number of participants reporting 7-day abstinence from smoking at both 4 weeks after randomisation and at follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation), validated by exhaled CO and/or saliva cotinine estimation at approximately 36 weeks gestation.	36 weeks gestation
Number of 24 Hour Quit Attempts	Number of short-term, 24 hour quit attempts noted per participant, from baseline until follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation).	36 weeks gestation
Reported Use of NHS and Other (Non-trial) Cessation Support	Reported use of any NHS cessation support or other (non-trial) cessation support (e.g. non-NHS websites), from baseline until follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation).	36 weeks gestation
Number of Requests to Stop Text Support	The number of participants in the trial arm who discontinued the text support prematurely, from baseline until follow up at the end of pregnancy (approximately 36 weeks gestation).	36 weeks gestation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Nottingham
• Collaborators: University of Cambridge
• Investigators: Study Chair: Tim Coleman, Professor, University of Nottingham

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Naughton F, Prevost AT, Gilbert H, Sutton S. Randomized controlled trial evaluation of a tailored leaflet and SMS text message self-help intervention for pregnant smokers (MiQuit). Nicotine Tob Res. 2012 May;14(5):569-77. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntr254. Epub 2012 Feb 6.
• Cooper S, Foster K, Naughton F, Leonardi-Bee J, Sutton S, Ussher M, Leighton M, Montgomery A, Parrott S, Coleman T. Pilot study to evaluate a tailored text message intervention for pregnant smokers (MiQuit): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Jan 27;16:29. doi: 10.1186/s13063-014-0546-4.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 14, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 21, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): January 23, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 15, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2019
• Last Verified: April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pregnancy; smoking cessation; cessation support; tailored text messages; self-help; MiQuit
• Other Study ID Numbers: 13113; 13/EM/0427 (Other Identifier: UK Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No