Evaluating the Episodic Future Thinking Intervention for Reducing Cigarette Consumption in Cigarette Smokers

NCT ID: NCT05825001

Last Updated: 2026-02-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 104 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-09-15
• Study Completion Date: 2026-10-01

Brief Summary

This clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of active episodic future thinking (EFT) stimuli for reducing cigarette consumption in cigarette smokers. EFT is an innovative framing method shown to significantly activate brain regions involved in future thinking, planning, and other executive functions. Active EFT stimuli are positive events, unrelated to smoking, that participants anticipate, look forward to, and can vividly imagine happening up to 1 year in the future. Control EFT stimuli are positive past events, unrelated to smoking, that participants can vividly remember happening in the recent past. Active EFT stimuli may help reduce cigarette consumption among cigarette smokers by exposing them to personally relevant future oriented stimuli.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJEECTIVE:

I. To evaluate the efficacy of episodic future thinking (EFT) for smoking cessation.

OUTLINE: Participants are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I (ACTIVE): Participants receive the active EFT stimulus and use the iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor on study.

ARM II (CONTROL): Participants receive the control EFT stimulus and use the iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor on study.

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking-Related Carcinoma

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Arm II (control EFT)

Participants receive the control EFT stimulus and use the iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor on study.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Smoking Cessation Intervention (control)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Receive control EFT stimulus

Medical Device Usage and Evaluation

Intervention Type: OTHER

Use iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor

Arm 1 (active EFT)

Participants receive the active EFT stimulus and use the iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor on study.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Smoking Cessation Intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Receive active EFT stimulus

Medical Device Usage and Evaluation

Intervention Type: OTHER

Use iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor

Interventions

Smoking Cessation Intervention

Receive active EFT stimulus

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Smoking Cessation Intervention (control)

Receive control EFT stimulus

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Medical Device Usage and Evaluation

Use iCOquit Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation Interventions; Smoking and Tobacco Use Cessation Interventions

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Smoke >= 10 cigarettes daily
• >32 on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ)
• No regular use of other tobacco products
• In possession of a smartphone with text messaging capabilities

• Willing to quit smoking in the next 30 days
• Low socioeconomic status
• Veteran of the US armed services

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable or unwilling to provide verbal consent
• Unable or unwilling to provide data to the research team
• Current use of nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, or varenicline
• Use of drugs of abuse in the past 30 days
• Living in the same household as a participant already enrolled in this study
• Unable or unwilling to use nicotine patches

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Christine Sheffer

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Roswell Park

Locations

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Buffalo, New York, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

I 2684022

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id