Smoking Cessation Coaching in High-Risk Situations: A Virtual Reality Study

NCT ID: NCT05654545

Last Updated: 2023-05-25

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 25 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-11-04
• Study Completion Date: 2023-04-19

Brief Summary

Smoking tobacco is an important preventable risk factor for chronic illnesses and premature death and is most prevalent among groups with a lower socio-economic position (SEP). High relapse rates show that smoking cessation interventions are often not sufficiently effective on the long-term. Potential reasons for this limited effectiveness are that these interventions are not tailored to lower-SEP smokers and do not provide sufficient support in situations when the (re)lapse risk is high; that is, high-risk situations (HRSs). A mobile phone application using an automated conversational agent could be a useful approach to promote long-term smoking cessation, as it can be tailored to lower-SEP smokers and provide support at any time of the day (also in HRSs). However, evidence on the effectiveness of this kind of applications is scarce and it is still unclear how automated conversational agents can effectively promote lapse prevention. Therefore, it is important to explore what type of lapse prevention strategies these conversational agents should use in HRSs and how these different types of support are experienced by smokers.

This virtual reality (VR) experiment will examine the preliminary effectiveness and usability of a conversational agent that supports smokers in personal HRSs. More specifically, the investigators primarily aim to examine whether the three different lapse prevention dialogs increase abstinence self-efficacy in adult smokers from different SEP groups during simulated HRSs, compared to a neutral dialog (i.e., control condition). In addition, the investigators examine the effect of the lapse prevention dialogs, compared to the neutral dialog, in simulated HRSs on subjective craving and affect. Finally, the investigators examine how adult smokers from different SEP groups experience the personalized support of a simulated conversational agent in simulated HRSs.

VR will be used to expose smokers to their personal HRSs and let them interact with a conversational agent via a simulated mobile phone. Using computer-based VR technology, three-dimensional environments can be created based on environments that smokers encounter in their daily lives (e.g., their living room or the train station from where they travel to work). This way, controlled but at the same time natural-looking environments can be used to expose smokers to their personal HRSs and measure their responses in this situation.

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Chatbot coaching

Due to the single-group design there will only be one arm. All participants will be exposed to four different chatbot relapse prevention coaching dialogs, which are presented in a random order.

Group Type: OTHER

Lapse prevention dialog: Boost motivation and self-efficacy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In the boost motivation and self-efficacy dialog, the conversational agent will tell the participant that they can successfully resist smoking, try to take away their self-doubts and assert that the participant can and will succeed. For example, the conversational agent will send text messages such as: "Even though the temptation can be high, I have no doubts that you can resist smoking in this situation. If you want something, you can do it. Believe in yourself!".

Lapse prevention dialog: Future-selves and implementation intentions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In the future-selves and implementation intentions dialog, the conversational agent will first tell the participant to imagine themselves in a future in which they successfully quit smoking (i.e., desired future self). The conversational agent can send text messages such as: "Please think about yourself in the future. Imagine that you have quit smoking successfully. Think about the person you will be. What do you look like? What does your life look like? Consider this future image as well as you can.". This procedure will be repeated for a future in which the participant continued smoking (i.e., the undesired future self). Finally, the conversational agent will explain to the participant that it is important to think about how to resist smoking in HRSs (i.e., implementation intentions) to ensure that the participant comes closer to becoming their desired future self as non-smoker and to avoid their undesired future self as a smoker.

Lapse prevention dialog: Identity-related positive self-talk

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In the identity-related positive self-talk dialog, the conversational agent will tell the participant to use positive self-talk focused on their identity to motivate themselves to successfully resist smoking. For example, the conversational agent will send text messages such as: "When you feel tempted to smoke, it can help to say positive things to yourself and motivate yourself to resist the temptation. What positive things can you say about yourself to motivate yourself to resist smoking? For instance, 'I am a strong person who can resist smoking' or 'I am a person who is persistent and has control over the urge to smoke'. Now say the sentence(s) you find motivating or your own motivating words to yourself, by thinking it, and repeating it in your head or out loud.".

Attention control dialog: neutral topic

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The neutral dialog will act as an attention control condition. In this dialog, the conversational agent will not provide support using relapse prevention strategies. Instead, the conversational agent will start with a short introduction (e.g., "Hi, how are you doing?"), ask questions to show interest (e.g., "How are you feeling today?") and will talk about a neutral topic (e.g., animals; "What is your favorite animal?"), and then closes the conversation (e.g., "It was nice speaking with you. I hope you have a good rest of the day!").

Interventions

Lapse prevention dialog: Boost motivation and self-efficacy

In the boost motivation and self-efficacy dialog, the conversational agent will tell the participant that they can successfully resist smoking, try to take away their self-doubts and assert that the participant can and will succeed. For example, the conversational agent will send text messages such as: "Even though the temptation can be high, I have no doubts that you can resist smoking in this situation. If you want something, you can do it. Believe in yourself!".

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Lapse prevention dialog: Future-selves and implementation intentions

In the future-selves and implementation intentions dialog, the conversational agent will first tell the participant to imagine themselves in a future in which they successfully quit smoking (i.e., desired future self). The conversational agent can send text messages such as: "Please think about yourself in the future. Imagine that you have quit smoking successfully. Think about the person you will be. What do you look like? What does your life look like? Consider this future image as well as you can.". This procedure will be repeated for a future in which the participant continued smoking (i.e., the undesired future self). Finally, the conversational agent will explain to the participant that it is important to think about how to resist smoking in HRSs (i.e., implementation intentions) to ensure that the participant comes closer to becoming their desired future self as non-smoker and to avoid their undesired future self as a smoker.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Lapse prevention dialog: Identity-related positive self-talk

In the identity-related positive self-talk dialog, the conversational agent will tell the participant to use positive self-talk focused on their identity to motivate themselves to successfully resist smoking. For example, the conversational agent will send text messages such as: "When you feel tempted to smoke, it can help to say positive things to yourself and motivate yourself to resist the temptation. What positive things can you say about yourself to motivate yourself to resist smoking? For instance, 'I am a strong person who can resist smoking' or 'I am a person who is persistent and has control over the urge to smoke'. Now say the sentence(s) you find motivating or your own motivating words to yourself, by thinking it, and repeating it in your head or out loud.".

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Attention control dialog: neutral topic

The neutral dialog will act as an attention control condition. In this dialog, the conversational agent will not provide support using relapse prevention strategies. Instead, the conversational agent will start with a short introduction (e.g., "Hi, how are you doing?"), ask questions to show interest (e.g., "How are you feeling today?") and will talk about a neutral topic (e.g., animals; "What is your favorite animal?"), and then closes the conversation (e.g., "It was nice speaking with you. I hope you have a good rest of the day!").

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years or older
• Being able to read and understand Dutch
• Smoking ≥ 10 cigarettes a day
• Intention to quit smoking sometime in the future
• Being able to wear a VR helmet for approximately 30 minutes, with breaks in between
• Willingness to take and send videos and audio of three locations where the participant is most likely to smoke (i.e., highest chance of smoking when in the environment)

Exclusion Criteria

• Visual problems (e.g., limited visibility without glasses) that affect viewing VR environments (based on self-report)
• Currently involved in smoking cessation activity or therapy (based on self-report)
• When patients are deemed unfit to participate (due to, for example, psychological problems or medication). This decision is left to the discretion of the responsible researcher.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Leiden University Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

aversluis

Dr. (Senior researcher)

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Anke Versluis, Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Eline Meijer, Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Locations

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)

Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands

Countries

Netherlands

Other Identifiers

628.011.211

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

N22.013 METC-LDD

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id