Trial of Novel, On-Demand Virtual Reality to Amplify Practice Efficacy (NO VAPE) Added to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nicotine Vaping Cessation

3. General Description of Study Design

The proposed study will evaluate the effect of adding a VR app with CBT-embedded content to a 12-session individual CBT treatment program. Investigators propose a prospective, randomized, single-blind, trial with 90 individuals aged 16 years and over who vape nicotine at least weekly for three months, and wish to quit vaping within the next month. Subjects will be randomly assigned to either the experimental (NO VAPE + CBT) or control group (sham NO VAPE + CBT) for 12 weeks. The study will use a double blind design where both subjects and investigators and outcome assessors will be masked to subjects' group assignments. The experimental group will receive the following over a 12-week period: NO VAPE (VR app) combined with the MGH 12-session remote behavioral vaping cessation support program for vaping cessation. The control group will receive a sham NO VAPE (VR app) combined with the MGH 12-session remote behavioral vaping cessation support program. The VR app will be used at home by participants in between CBT session visits. Participants will also briefly report their CBT skills practice using the MyCap smartphone app. Participants will be assigned randomly to the experimental or control group in a 1:1 ratio, with randomization blocks of 6, stratified by no/mild nicotine dependence (Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index [ECDI] score 0-8) or moderate/high nicotine dependence (ECDI score 9 or higher) in a prospective trial in people age 16 and over, who use vaped nicotine regularly and wish to quit vaping.

The primary outcome is self-reported time spent in CBT skills practice per week. Groups will be compared on mean number of days and duration of self-reported CBT skill practice per week over the 12-week treatment period.

Secondary outcomes are: tolerability and feasibility of the NO VAPE virtual reality (VR) vaping cessation tool, which will be assessed by the following self-reported ratings in both groups: a) average CBT session attendance weekly, b) satisfaction ratings, c) adverse events; and by the following self-reported ratings d) self-ratings of the virtual reality application usability, e) engagement, f) presence, and g) simulator cyber sickness.

Exploratory outcomes are: 1) biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence vaping abstinence at week 12, and 2) 4-week biochemically verified continuous abstinence from weeks 9-12.