AzTrials
AzTrials

Smoking CessationNCT05370352

Mobile Chat Messaging for Smoking Relapse Prevention

A study testing Standard smoking cessation treatment, Personalised chat messaging and SMS text messaging in people with Smoking Cessation, run by The University of Hong Kong at 2 sites in Hong Kong.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Most smokers return to smoking (relapse) after making a quit attempt, but evidence of effective intervention to prevent relapse is scarce. Taking advantage of recent advances in mobile technologies, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile chat messaging-based relapse prevention intervention in… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Smoking Cessation
What is being tested?
Standard smoking cessation treatment, Personalised chat messaging and SMS text messaging
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
590 participants
Where
2 sitesHong Kong
Study dates
14 Mar 2023to 10 Aug 2025
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

  • Hong Kong residents aged 18 years or above
  • Own a smartphone with WhatsApp installed
  • Enrolled in a smoking cessation program under Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation
  • Smoked daily before the present quit attempt
  • Abstained from smoking for 3 to 30 days

Who cannot join

  • Diagnosed with a mental disease or on regular psychotropic drugs
  • Participating in other ongoing smoking cessation studies

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Hong Kong2 sites

  • Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation

    Hong Kong

  • United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service Smoking Cessation Programme

    Hong Kong

Other trials in Hong Kong

About this study

Official title: Effectiveness of Mobile Chat Messaging for Preventing Relapse in Smokers Who Have Recently Quit Smoking: a Randomised Controlled Trial

Most smokers return to smoking (relapse) after making a quit attempt, but evidence of effective intervention to prevent relapse is scarce. Taking advantage of recent advances in mobile technologies, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile chat messaging-based relapse prevention intervention in promoting successful quitting in people who recently quit smoking (recent abstainers) using a randomised controlled trial design.

Read the detailed description

Most smokers who made quit attempts and achieved short-term abstinence return to smoking (relapse) over time, even when aided by effective smoking cessation treatment. Since relapse mostly occurred in the first 4 weeks of abstinence, relapse prevention in the early phase of abstinence could potentially boost long-term abstinence. Several behavioural interventions for smoking relapse prevention have been proposed and tested in RCTs. Yet, a 2019 Cochrane review did not find traditional approaches, including self-help materials, telephone counselling and group therapy, effective in increasing long-term abstinence at 6 months or longer.

The widespread use of mobile devices has provided a highly accessible and scalable means for novel behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. A formative qualitative study in current smokers conducted by the investigators showed that mobile chat messaging is a feasible and acceptable platform for delivering smoking cessation support. A subsequent cluster randomised controlled trial on 1148 smokers found that mobile chat messaging combined with brief intervention was effective in increasing biochemically validated abstinence at 6 months. Nonetheless, whether mobile chat messaging could prevent relapse in recent abstainers has remained untested.

The investigators did a pilot trial to confirm the feasibility and acceptability of mobile chat messaging for relapse prevention in recent abstainers. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile chat messaging relapse prevention intervention in promoting abstinence in recent abstainers.

Being tested
Standard smoking cessation treatment, Personalised chat messaging, SMS text messaging
Keywords
relapse prevention, recurrence, mHealth, instant messaging, WhatsApp, chatbot, conversational agent, Chinese
Medical subject headings
Smoking Cessation, Recurrence

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Standard smoking cessation treatmentBehavioural

    Standard smoking cessation treatment (behavioural and pharmacotherapy) provided by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation

  • Personalised chat messagingBehavioural

    Personalised chat messaging focusing on smoking relapse prevention for 3 months from randomisation. A trained counsellor will interact with a participant individually and provide relapse prevention advice via WhatsApp. The participant can also access a supportive chatbot in WhatsApp, which will provide on-demand smoking relapse prevention support when the counsellor is not available (e.g., during nighttime).

  • SMS text messagingBehavioural

    SMS text messaging on generic information about the harms of smoking and the benefits of quitting for 3 months from randomisation.

Study groups in NCT05370352
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Mobile chat messagingExperimentalStandard smoking cessation treatment + Personalised chat messaging
Receives: Behavioral: Standard smoking cessation treatment; Behavioral: Personalised chat messaging
SMS messagingActive comparatorStandard smoking cessation treatment + Regular SMS text messaging generic information about the harms of smoking and the benefits of quitting
Receives: Behavioral: Standard smoking cessation treatment; Behavioral: SMS text messaging

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Biochemically validated tobacco abstinence

    Verified by an exhaled carbon monoxide level of lower than 5 parts per million or a negative salivary cotinine test

    Measured: 6 months after randomisation

Secondary outcomes (9)

  1. Self-reported 6-month prolonged tobacco abstinence

    Not more than five lapses permitted for 6 months after baseline

    Measured: 6 months after randomisation

  2. Self-reported 7-day point prevalent tobacco abstinence

    Being completely smoke-free in the past 7 days

    Measured: 3 months after randomisation

  3. Self-reported 7-day point prevalent tobacco abstinence

    Being completely smoke-free in the past 7 days

    Measured: 6 months after randomisation

  4. Self-reported relapse rate

    Defined as use of tobacco products for 7 consecutive days or longer

    Measured: 3 months after randomisation

  5. Self-reported relapse rate

    Defined as use of tobacco products for 7 consecutive days or longer

    Measured: 6 months after randomisation

  6. Biochemically validated tobacco abstinence

    Verified by an exhaled carbon monoxide level of lower than 5 parts per million or a negative salivary cotinine test

    Measured: 12 months after randomisation

  7. Self-reported 12-month prolonged tobacco abstinence

    Not more than five lapses permitted for 12 months after baseline

    Measured: 12 months after randomisation

  8. Self-reported 7-day point prevalent tobacco abstinence

    Being completely smoke-free in the past 7 days

    Measured: 12 months after randomisation

  9. Self-reported relapse rate

    Defined as use of tobacco products for 7 consecutive days or longer

    Measured: 12 months after randomisation

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 May 2022
  2. Study start14 Mar 2023
  3. Primary completion16 Feb 2025
  4. Study completion10 Aug 2025

Resources

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
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
590 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05370352
Sponsor's protocol ID
19201341
Status last verified
Apr 2025
First submitted
6 May 2022
Last updated
20 Nov 2025
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Request to obtain IPD can be made to the principal invesitgator on reasonable request

Publications

  • Luk TT, Wong SW, Lee JJ, Chan SS, Lam TH, Wang MP. Exploring Community Smokers' Perspectives for Developing a Chat-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention Delivered Through Mobile Instant Messaging: Qualitative Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Jan 31;7(1):e11954. doi: 10.2196/11954.

    PubMed 30702431

  • Luk TT, Li WHC, Cheung DYT, Wong SW, Kwong ACS, Lai VWY, Chan SS, Lam TH, Wang MP. Chat-based instant messaging support combined with brief smoking cessation interventions for Chinese community smokers in Hong Kong: Rationale and study protocol for a pragmatic, cluster-randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2019 Feb;77:70-75. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2018.12.013. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

    PubMed 30593882

  • Wang MP, Luk TT, Wu Y, Li WH, Cheung DY, Kwong AC, Lai V, Chan SS, Lam TH. Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet Digit Health. 2019 Aug;1(4):e183-e192. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30082-2. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

    PubMed 33323188

  • Luk TT, Cheung YTD, Chan HC, Fok PW, Ho KS, Sze CD, Lam TH, Wang MP. Mobile Chat Messaging for Preventing Smoking Relapse Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 Jan 5;25(2):291-297. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac045.

    PubMed 35166327

  • Luk TT, Su X, Wong V, Chan HC, Wong GN, Lee JKH, Ho SY, Lam TH, Cheung YTD, Wang MP. Mobile Chat Messaging for Smoking Relapse Prevention: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Mar 1;186(3):294-302. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7439.

    PubMed 41557345

  • Su X, Wong V, Cheung YTD, Chan HC, Wong GN, Lee JKH, Ho SY, Wang MP, Luk TT. Mobile chat messaging for preventing relapse among people who recently quit smoking: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Digit Health. 2024 Oct 21;10:20552076241291709. doi: 10.1177/20552076241291709. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

    PubMed 39439726

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Standard smoking cessation treatment, Personalised chat messaging and SMS text messaging in people with Smoking Cessation, run by The University of Hong Kong at 2 sites in Hong Kong.

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 5 inclusion and 2 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 20 Nov 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Hong Kong. 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?

Biochemically validated tobacco abstinence (time frame: 6 months after randomisation). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05370352, which also lists 6 linked publications.

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 20 Nov 2025.

AzTrials uses cookies for analytics and advertising. You can accept or reject them; the site works either way. Privacy Policy.

Free account

Keep searching with a free account

You’ve used your 3 free searches for this session. Log in or create a free AzTrials account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in