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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06730646

Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers

Young adults are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, making them more susceptible to developing persistent substance use. The tobacco industry capitalizes on this vulnerability by using marketing tactics to promote tobacco initiation and facilitate the progression from experimental tobacco use to long-term use. In China, where the average age of starting daily smoking is 21.1 years old, the number of current young adult smokers exceeds 29 million. It is crucial to develop effective communication messages to counter the tobacco industry's marketing strategies and protect the health of young adults in China. This project aims to test the effects of different anti-smoking message themes among Chinese young adults. In this online randomized clinical trial, participants will be randomly assigned to one of five antismoking message conditions. The investigators will compare the effects of these themes with each other and with the control condition.

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Key information

Conditions

Smoking Prevention Behavior Smoking

Age range

18 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Online, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

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About this study

In this study, the investigators will examine the effectiveness of different anti-smoking themes in reducing intention to smoke among Chines young adults. The study will recruit 1500 adults aged 18-25 years old, including 750 current smokers and 750 non-smokers, evenly split between male and female.

The study will be conducted through a self-administered, web-assisted online survey software. Participants will be asked to consent to participate in this study via a consent form presented at the beginning of the survey. Consented participants will be randomized to one of six conditions (each represents a level of the independent variable: anti-smoking message theme): 1) Health effects 2) Tobacco industry manipulation 3) Mental health 4) Secondhand smoke 5) Social acceptability 6) Control messages with no cigarette-related content.

The study has two sessions. In session 1, participants will complete a 20-minute survey. The survey will begin with questions assessing demographic characteristics. Then participants will be shown intervention or control messages (watch three 30-second video in each condition), and beliefs and future intention to smoke cigarettes will be assessed.

Two weeks after session 1, participants will be asked to complete a 5-minute survey in session 2 of the study. The survey will measure participants' recall of the messages and smoking behaviors in the past two weeks after message exposure.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • • Aged between 18-25 years old
  • Current residency in China
  • Current smokers - having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and currently smoking every day or some days
  • Nonsmokers - having not smoked 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and do not currently smoke cigarettes
  • Can to read, speak, and understand Mandarin Chinese

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Treatment and study plan

Health effects

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the smoking-related diseases during the survey data collection.

Tobacco industry manipulation

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about how the tobacco industry uses targeted marketing and manipulative tactics aimed at youth and young adults during the survey data collection.

Secondhand smoke

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the risks of secondhand smoke exposure during the survey data collection.

Mentral health

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the effects of smoking on mental health during the survey data collection.

Social acceptability

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about how smoking is socially unacceptable in China during the survey data collection.

Control

Behavioral

Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about drinking bottled water during the survey data collection. These messages display specific water products and describe hydration as a healthy activity.

Primary outcomes

  1. Intention to use tobacco

    Time frame: Immediately after message exposure

    A five-item scale measuring future intentions to smoke cigarettes and other forms of tobacco over the next year.

    Response options: from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely).

    Higher scores represent stronger intention to use tobacco.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Perceived harm of smoking

    Time frame: Immediately after message exposure

    Measured with a single item, assesses participant's perception of own risk of overall harm to health under conditions of smoking every day. Response options range from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely), with higher scores representing a better outcome.

  2. Perceived Message Effectiveness

    Time frame: Immediately after message exposure

    A three-item scale measuring to what extent participants think the messages they saw discourage them from wanting to smoke, make smoking seem unpleasant, and make them concerned about health risks of smoking.

    Response options: from 1 (Disagree) to 4 (Neither Disagree nor Agree) to 7 (Strongly Agree).

    Higher scores represent a better outcome. The final perceived message effectiveness score is the mean of the response to the three items.

  3. Quit intention

    Time frame: Immediately after message exposure

    Only measured among smokers. A two-item scale measuring to what extent participants are interested in quitting in the next 6 month. Response options are from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely), with higher scores representing a better outcome. The final quit intention score is the mean of the response to the two items.

  4. Smoking behavior

    Time frame: Two weeks after message exposure

    Single item measuring the average number of cigarettes smoked per day in the past two weeks.

  5. Intention to use tobacco in follow-up test

    Time frame: Two weeks after message exposure

    A five-item scale measuring future intentions to smoke cigarettes and other forms of tobacco over the next year. Response options: from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely). Higher scores represent stronger intention to use tobacco.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Georgia State University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Dec 12, 2024
Registry last updated
Oct 14, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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