Smoking PreventionNCT06730646
Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers
A study testing Health effects, Tobacco industry manipulation and Secondhand smoke in people with Smoking Prevention, run by Georgia State University at 2 sites in 2 countries.
Trial summary
Young adults are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, making them more susceptible to developing persistent substance use. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Smoking Prevention
- What is being tested?
- Health effects, Tobacco industry manipulation and Secondhand smoke
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,541 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesin 2 countries
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to 1 Oct 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 to 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- • 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
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 2 countries.
2 sites in 2 countries
About this study
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.
Read the detailed description
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.
- Conditions
- Smoking Prevention
- Being tested
- Health effects, Tobacco industry manipulation, Secondhand smoke, Mentral health, Social acceptability
- Keywords
- anti-smoking, health communication, smoking behavior
- Medical subject headings
- Smoking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Health effectsBehavioural
Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the smoking-related diseases during the survey data collection.
Tobacco industry manipulationBehavioural
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 smokeBehavioural
Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the risks of secondhand smoke exposure during the survey data collection.
Mentral healthBehavioural
Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the effects of smoking on mental health during the survey data collection.
Social acceptabilityBehavioural
Participants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about how smoking is socially unacceptable in China during the survey data collection.
ControlBehavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Health effects | Experimental | Participants will receive messages with information about smoking-related diseases. Receives: Behavioral: Health effects |
| Tobacco industry manipulation | Experimental | Participants will receive messages with information about how the tobacco industry uses targeted marketing and manipulative tactics aimed at youth and young adults. Receives: Behavioral: Tobacco industry manipulation |
| Secondhand smoke | Experimental | Participants will receive messages with information about secondhand smoke exposure. Receives: Behavioral: Secondhand smoke |
| Mental Health | Experimental | Participants will receive messages with information about the effects of smoking on mental health. Receives: Behavioral: Mentral health |
| Social acceptability | Experimental | Participants will receive messages that portray smoking as socially unacceptable in China. Receives: Behavioral: Social acceptability |
| Control | Other | Participants will receive messages about bottled water which should have no impact on the outcomes of interest. Receives: Behavioral: Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Intention to use tobacco
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.
Measured: Immediately after message exposure
Secondary outcomes (5)
Perceived harm of smoking
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.
Measured: Immediately after message exposure
Perceived Message Effectiveness
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.
Measured: Immediately after message exposure
Quit intention
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.
Measured: Immediately after message exposure
Smoking behavior
Single item measuring the average number of cigarettes smoked per day in the past two weeks.
Measured: Two weeks after message exposure
Intention to use tobacco in follow-up test
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.
Measured: Two weeks after message exposure
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Dec 2024
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completion1 Oct 2025
- Study completion1 Oct 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Smoking PreventionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 1,541 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Georgia State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Di Pei, Georgia State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06730646
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H24245
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 8 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 14 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- 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 14 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing Different Anti-smoking Messages Among Chinese Young Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06730646
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- H24245
- Conditions
- Smoking Prevention
- Keywords
- anti-smoking, health communication, smoking behavior
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,541 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Georgia State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Oct 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 Dec 2024 (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.
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.
Detailed description
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 6
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Health effects | Experimental | Behavioral: Health effectsParticipants will receive messages with information about smoking-related diseases. |
| Tobacco industry manipulation | Experimental | Behavioral: Tobacco industry manipulationParticipants will receive messages with information about how the tobacco industry uses targeted marketing and manipulative tactics aimed at youth and young adults. |
| Secondhand smoke | Experimental | Behavioral: Secondhand smokeParticipants will receive messages with information about secondhand smoke exposure. |
| Mental Health | Experimental | Behavioral: Mentral healthParticipants will receive messages with information about the effects of smoking on mental health. |
| Social acceptability | Experimental | Behavioral: Social acceptabilityParticipants will receive messages that portray smoking as socially unacceptable in China. |
| Control | Other | Behavioral: ControlParticipants will receive messages about bottled water which should have no impact on the outcomes of interest. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- • Aged between 18-25 years old
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Health effectsParticipants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the smoking-related diseases during the survey data collection. | Behavioural | Health effects |
| Tobacco industry manipulationParticipants 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. | Behavioural | Tobacco industry manipulation |
| Secondhand smokeParticipants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the risks of secondhand smoke exposure during the survey data collection. | Behavioural | Secondhand smoke |
| Mentral healthParticipants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about the effects of smoking on mental health during the survey data collection. | Behavioural | Mental Health |
| Social acceptabilityParticipants in this arm will watch 3 short videos about how smoking is socially unacceptable in China during the survey data collection. | Behavioural | Social acceptability |
| ControlParticipants 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. | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
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.
5 secondary outcomes
Perceived harm of smoking
Time frame: Immediately after message exposure
Perceived Message Effectiveness
Time frame: Immediately after message exposure
Quit intention
Time frame: Immediately after message exposure
Smoking behavior
Time frame: Two weeks after message exposure
Intention to use tobacco in follow-up test
Time frame: Two weeks after message exposure
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 14 Oct 2025.
- 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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
2 sites in 2 countries: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Health effects, Tobacco industry manipulation and Secondhand smoke in people with Smoking Prevention, run by Georgia State University at 2 sites in 2 countries.
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 1 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 14 Oct 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 United States, China. 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?
Intention to use tobacco (time frame: Immediately after message exposure). 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 14 Oct 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.