Effective Ads for Quitting Smoking
October 21, 2025 updated by: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Identifying Effective Ads to Encourage Quitting Smoking Among People Who Smoke Menthol Cigarettes
The main purpose of this trial is to identify effective quit smoking ads for people who smoke menthol cigarettes.
Investigators will conduct an online randomized trial with a nationally representative sample of ~1,400 US adults (ages 21+) who smoke menthol cigarettes.
Study Overview
Status
Completed
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of efficacy-based quit smoking ads in a 5 (theme) x 6 (ad) mixed factorial randomized design.
Recruitment: A survey company will recruit ~1,400 participants. Participants will complete a screener to confirm that they are US adults (ages 21+), currently smoke menthol cigarettes, and are able to read and speak English. A portion of the sample will be nationally representative, and a portion will be a convenience sample.
Informed Consent: The consent form will appear on the first page of the survey. Participants will provide their consent to be in the trial by clicking on a button that forwards to the next page of the survey.
Randomization: After consent, the survey software will randomize participants to 1 of 5 themes between-subjects. The design will include 3 intervention ad themes about quitting smoking (self-efficacy ads, response efficacy ads, or motivation ads) and 2 control ad themes about neutral non-smoking related topics (reading or password safety).
Each participant will view 6 ads on their assigned theme, presented in a random order.
Assessment: Participants will complete a ~15 minute online survey one time.
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Actual)
1236
Phase
- 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 Locations
-
-
North Carolina
-
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
- University of North Carolina
-
-
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
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Description
This national trial is not open to enrollment from the general public. Participation is restricted to individuals who meet the following inclusion and exclusion criteria:
Inclusion Criteria
- Currently smoke menthol cigarettes
- Be a member of the AmeriSpeak online survey panel or their convenience sample
- Live in the US
- Be age 21 years or older
- Read and speak English
Exclusion Criteria
- Not currently smoke menthol cigarettes
- Not be a member of the AmeriSpeak online survey panel or their convenience sample
- Not live in the US
- Be younger than age 21 years
- Not be able to read and speak English
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: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Ads about response efficacy for quitting smoking
Participants will view ads designed to increase response efficacy for quitting cigarettes.
|
The ads will be on topics to encourage quitting smoking, formatted as multi-color text with graphic elements.
Trial investigators developed the ads and optimized them to be readable when delivered in an SMS text message.
|
|
Experimental: Ads about self-efficacy for quitting smoking
Participants will view ads designed to increase self-efficacy to quit smoking.
|
The ads will be on topics to encourage quitting smoking, formatted as multi-color text with graphic elements.
Trial investigators developed the ads and optimized them to be readable when delivered in an SMS text message.
|
|
Experimental: Ads about motivation to quit smoking
Participants will view ads designed to increase motivation to quit smoking.
|
The ads will be on topics to encourage quitting smoking, formatted as multi-color text with graphic elements.
Trial investigators developed the ads and optimized them to be readable when delivered in an SMS text message.
|
|
Other: Ads about reading
Participants will view non-smoking related ads on the benefits of reading.
|
The ads will be on topics unrelated to quitting smoking, formatted as black text on a white field.
Trial investigators developed the ads and optimized them to be readable when delivered in an SMS text message.
|
|
Other: Ads about passwords
Participants will view non-smoking related ads on passwords.
|
The ads will be on topics unrelated to quitting smoking, formatted as black text on a white field.
Trial investigators developed the ads and optimized them to be readable when delivered in an SMS text message.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Perceived Message Effectiveness for Motivation
Time Frame: During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Perceived effectiveness of the ads at encouraging quitting smoking, measured by 1 survey item for each ad (6 items total).
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher perceived message effectiveness.
|
During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Self-efficacy
Time Frame: After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Confidence that one can quit smoking, measured by 1 survey item.
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher self-efficacy.
|
After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
|
Perceived Message Effectiveness for Response Efficacy
Time Frame: During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Perceived effectiveness of the ads at communicating the benefits of quitting smoking, measured by 1 survey item for each ad (6 items total).
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher perceived message effectiveness.
|
During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
|
Perceived Message Effectiveness for Self-efficacy
Time Frame: During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Perceived effectiveness of the ads at creating confidence that one can quit smoking, measured by 1 survey item for each ad (6 items total).
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher perceived message effectiveness.
|
During exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
|
Intentions to Quit Smoking
Time Frame: After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Motivation to quit smoking, measured by 1 survey item.
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher intentions to quit smoking.
|
After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
|
Response Efficacy
Time Frame: After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Belief that quitting smoking improves health, measured by 1 survey item.
Range 1 to 5, with higher values indicating higher response efficacy.
|
After exposure to the ads, assessed during one-time online 15-minute survey.
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Marissa G Hall, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Principal Investigator: Noel Brewer, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Publications and helpful links
The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.
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)
September 5, 2024
Primary Completion (Actual)
October 21, 2024
Study Completion (Actual)
October 21, 2024
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
June 26, 2024
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
June 26, 2024
First Posted (Actual)
July 3, 2024
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimated)
November 3, 2025
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
October 21, 2025
Last Verified
October 1, 2025
More Information
Terms related to this study
Other Study ID Numbers
- 23-2450
- U54DA060049 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
YES
IPD Plan Description
The trial investigators will produce a de-identified dataset and codebook for sharing with external investigators, making use of the UNC Dataverse digital data repository (dataverse.unc.edu)
hosted by the Odum Institute Data Archive.
IPD Sharing Time Frame
The data will be available beginning 12 and continuing for 36 months following the primary publication.
IPD Sharing Access Criteria
To obtain a copy of the dataset and codebook, a research scientist will submit a request in writing, identifying themselves and their affiliated institution, indicating what they plan to do with the data, and including assurances that they will not share the data with others without the written permission of the PI.
Requestors must already have institutional review board, independent ethics committee, or research ethics board approval, as applicable.
Requestors must obtain a data use agreement through UNC's Office of Industry Contracting (OIC@unc.edu)
to receive the dataset and codebook and agree to acknowledge NIH and the study investigators in any publications resulting from the data.
IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type
- 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
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