Tobacco UseNCT04833972
Eliciting Perceived Norms About Substance Use
A study testing Survey questionnaire in people with Tobacco Use and Alcohol Drinking, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in Uganda.
Trial summary
Survey experiment to elicit perceived norms about substance use Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Tobacco Use, Alcohol Drinking
- What is being tested?
- Survey questionnaire
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,531 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUganda
- Study dates
- 10 Feb 2021to 15 Aug 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- All adults who consider Nyakabare their primary place of residence and who are capable of providing consent
Who cannot join
- Minors younger than 18 years of age, with the exception of emancipated minors
- Persons who do not consider Nyakabare Parish their primary place of residence, e.g., persons who happen to be visiting Nyakabare at the time of the survey or who own a home in Nyakabare but spend most of their time outside the parish
- Persons with psychosis, neurological damage, acute intoxication, or other cognitive impairment (all of which are determined informally in the field by non-clinical research staff in consultation with a supervisor)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Survey experiment to elicit perceived norms about substance use
Read the detailed description
Health behaviors and health risk behaviors are known to be associated with the extent to which one perceives these behaviors as normative. The canonical example of this phenomenon is taken from the U.S. literature, which has robustly shown that undergraduate students on college campuses tend to drink more heavily and frequently if they believe their classmates drink heavily and frequently, irrespective of their classmates' actual levels and frequency of use. However, there remains little systematic understanding about the best ways to elicit these perceived norms through survey-based research studies. This randomized survey experiment compares different ways of eliciting perceived norms.
- Conditions
- Tobacco Use, Alcohol Drinking
- Being tested
- Survey questionnaire
- Medical subject headings
- Tobacco Use, Alcohol Drinking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Survey questionnaireOther
Each version of the questionnaire has the same questions about perceived norms about substance use in the community but differs in how the response options are offered.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental: V1: Binary Response Options | Experimental | As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire has binary (yes/no) response options. Receives: Other: Survey questionnaire |
| Experimental: V2: Categorical Response Options | Experimental | As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire has categorical response options: all or almost all; more than half, but fewer than 90%; fewer than half, but more than 10%; very few, or no one Receives: Other: Survey questionnaire |
| Experimental: V3: Open-Ended Numerical Estimate | Experimental | As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire permits the study participant to provide an open-ended numerical estimate. Receives: Other: Survey questionnaire |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Perception of Tobacco Use Frequency Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish smoked cigarettes four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Tobacco Use Frequency Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish smoked cigarettes four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Use Frequency Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish taken alcohol four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Use Frequency Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish taken alcohol four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Blackouts Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish been unable to remember what happened the night before at least once as a result of them taking alcohol in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Blackouts Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish been unable to remember what happened the night before at least once as a result of them taking alcohol in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Spousal Problems Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish quarreled after taking alcohol with their spouse or main partner if they have one in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Spousal Problems Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish quarreled after taking alcohol with their spouse or main partner if they have one in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol Intoxication Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish experienced drunkenness or intoxication on 3 or more days in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol Intoxication Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish experienced drunkenness or intoxication on 3 or more days in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
Perception of Alcohol Use Financial Harms Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish had a harmful effect on their household's finances due to them taking alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Use Financial Harms Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish had a harmful effect on their household's finances due to them taking alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Spending Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish spent more than 35,000 USh on any kind of alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Spending Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish spent more than 35,000 USh on any kind of alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Binge Use Frequency Among Men
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish taken 6 or more drinks in a single morning, afternoon, or night in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Perception of Alcohol Binge Use Frequency Among Women
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish taken 6 or more drinks in a single morning, afternoon, or night in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Measured: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Apr 2021
- Study start10 Feb 2021
- Primary completion15 Aug 2022
- Study completion15 Aug 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Tobacco UseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Massachusetts General HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 1,531 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Mbarara University of Science and Technology
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Alexander Tsai, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Investigators
- Alexander C Tsai, MD, Principal investigator, Massachusetts General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04833972
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2013P000395_3
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Apr 2021
- Last updated
- 1 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Eliciting Perceived Norms About Substance Use
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04833972
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2013P000395_3
- Conditions
- Tobacco Use, Alcohol Drinking
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,531 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Mbarara University of Science and Technology
- Study start
- 10 Feb 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Aug 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Aug 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Apr 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Survey experiment to elicit perceived norms about substance use
Detailed description
Health behaviors and health risk behaviors are known to be associated with the extent to which one perceives these behaviors as normative. The canonical example of this phenomenon is taken from the U.S. literature, which has robustly shown that undergraduate students on college campuses tend to drink more heavily and frequently if they believe their classmates drink heavily and frequently, irrespective of their classmates' actual levels and frequency of use. However, there remains little systematic understanding about the best ways to elicit these perceived norms through survey-based research studies. This randomized survey experiment compares different ways of eliciting perceived norms.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental: V1: Binary Response Options | Experimental | Other: Survey questionnaireAs this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire has binary (yes/no) response options. |
| Experimental: V2: Categorical Response Options | Experimental | Other: Survey questionnaireAs this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire has categorical response options: all or almost all; more than half, but fewer than 90%; fewer than half, but more than 10%; very few, or no one |
| Experimental: V3: Open-Ended Numerical Estimate | Experimental | Other: Survey questionnaireAs this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. Each question in this version of the survey questionnaire permits the study participant to provide an open-ended numerical estimate. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- All adults who consider Nyakabare their primary place of residence and who are capable of providing consent
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Minors younger than 18 years of age, with the exception of emancipated minors
- Persons who do not consider Nyakabare Parish their primary place of residence, e.g., persons who happen to be visiting Nyakabare at the time of the survey or who own a home in Nyakabare but spend most of their time outside the parish
- Persons with psychosis, neurological damage, acute intoxication, or other cognitive impairment (all of which are determined informally in the field by non-clinical research staff in consultation with a supervisor)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Survey questionnaireEach version of the questionnaire has the same questions about perceived norms about substance use in the community but differs in how the response options are offered. | Other | Experimental: V1: Binary Response Options, Experimental: V2: Categorical Response Options, Experimental: V3: Open-Ended Numerical Estimate |
Primary outcome
Perception of Tobacco Use Frequency Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish smoked cigarettes four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Tobacco Use Frequency Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish smoked cigarettes four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Use Frequency Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish taken alcohol four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Use Frequency Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish taken alcohol four or more times per week in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Blackouts Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish been unable to remember what happened the night before at least once as a result of them taking alcohol in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Blackouts Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish been unable to remember what happened the night before at least once as a result of them taking alcohol in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Spousal Problems Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish quarreled after taking alcohol with their spouse or main partner if they have one in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol-Related Spousal Problems Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish quarreled after taking alcohol with their spouse or main partner if they have one in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Intoxication Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish experienced drunkenness or intoxication on 3 or more days in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Intoxication Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 30 days)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish experienced drunkenness or intoxication on 3 or more days in the past 30 days?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Use Financial Harms Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish had a harmful effect on their household's finances due to them taking alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Use Financial Harms Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish had a harmful effect on their household's finances due to them taking alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Spending Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish spent more than 35,000 USh on any kind of alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Spending Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish spent more than 35,000 USh on any kind of alcohol in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Binge Use Frequency Among Men
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most men in your cell in this parish taken 6 or more drinks in a single morning, afternoon, or night in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Perception of Alcohol Binge Use Frequency Among Women
Time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)
"According to your perception, have most women in your cell in this parish taken 6 or more drinks in a single morning, afternoon, or night in the past 12 months?" (single item, culturally adapted and developed for this study; categorical response options)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Alexander C Tsai, MD principal investigator
Massachusetts General Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Survey questionnaire in people with Tobacco Use and Alcohol Drinking, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 1 site in Uganda.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Uganda. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Perception of Tobacco Use Frequency Among Men (time frame: Baseline (The experimental manipulation in this study has to do with which version of the survey the study participant receives, so the time frame for assessment is immediate, and participants are asked about the past 12 months)). The study lists 16 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Jun 2026.