The SUNRISE Project is Dedicated to Enhancing Primary Cancer Prevention Among Adolescents in Europe by Leveraging Innovative Digital Tools and Methodologies. SmartCoach, Developed by Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF), is a Mobile Phone-based Life-skills Training Program
NCT ID: NCT06922201
Last Updated: 2025-04-10
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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NOT_YET_RECRUITING
NA
3500 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-09-30
2028-04-30
Brief Summary
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The SUNRISE project aims to test its intervention on students across eight European countries, including Greece, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, and Romania. This study focuses on integrating digitally enhanced programs into the school environment, targeting students aged 10 to 19 years. The program emphasizes inclusivity, ensuring participation from both urban and rural regions and socially disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and migrants. By addressing diverse socio-economic, cultural, and environmental contexts, SUNRISE aspires to create a universally applicable and impactful intervention.
Specifically, this study is focus on the SmartCoach program, developed by the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF). It is a mobile phone-based life-skills training program designed to prevent substance use among adolescents. It will integrate digital tools and leveraging social media creating a more engaging, effective and sustainable intervention for adolescent health behaviour change.
The SmartCoach solution will be significantly more effective than an assessment-only approach in preventing the initiation and escalation of problematic alcohol and tobacco use. This efficacy will be demonstrated through a two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial, with participants assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 18 months. The study will measure key outcomes related to substance use frequencies, intensities, and associated behavioral changes, showing that the individually tailored 4 month intervention program leads to greater reductions in these behaviors compared to the control group over the 18-month follow-up period.
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Detailed Description
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The SUNRISE project aims to bridge these gaps and reduce social inequalities in primary cancer prevention among adolescents in Europe. Traditional health promotion programs face barriers such as the need for extensive resources and continuous support for educators. Digital interventions offer a promising solution by providing cost-effective, engaging, and tailored content accessible 24/7. As part of its comprehensive approach, SUNRISE seeks to test various innovative solutions, including the SmartCoach program, to determine the most effective strategies for adolescent health promotion.
SmartCoach, developed by Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF), is a mobile phone-based life-skills training program designed to prevent substance use among adolescents. It has shown significant long-term effectiveness in reducing tobacco smoking and cannabis use. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, SmartCoach promotes self-management skills, social skills, and substance use resistance through tailored weekly text messages over a period of several months.
Adolescence is a period of significant biological, psychological, and social transitions. These transitions provide opportunities for skill development but also present risks for developing harmful behaviours. Substance use often begins during adolescence, with increased prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis consumption as teen's age. For instance, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study showed noticeable increases in the lifetime prevalence of these substances among 11-to-15-year-olds. Schools are ideal settings for delivering preventive interventions due to their accessibility to young people.
Life-skills training programs, which focus on self-management, social skills, and substance use resistance, have proven effective but face challenges in implementation and sustainability. Traditional face-to-face interventions require substantial resources and commitment from educators. Digital interventions, such as those delivered via mobile phones, can overcome these obstacles by providing flexible, engaging, and tailored content.
SmartCoach addresses key concepts of Social Cognitive Theory, such as outcome expectations, self-efficacy, observational learning, facilitation, and self-regulation. The program in its previous version provided:
* Automated Messaging: 2-4 messages per week focusing on self-management skills, social skills, and substance use resistance.
* Interactive Features: Quizzes to tailor behavioural plans, friendly competitions to incentivize engagement, and integration with social media platforms like YouTube.
A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Switzerland showed high acceptance and promising effectiveness of SmartCoach among secondary and upper secondary school students, with significant longer-term reductions in tobacco- and cannabis use prevalence. Active program engagement was stimulated by interactive features such as quiz questions, message and picture contests, and the integration of a friendly competition with prizes, where users collected credits with each interaction.
Popular online social media platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok) play a significant role in young people's lives and offer powerful spaces to reach them and influence their health. These platforms provide interactive functionalities and have great potential for user engagement and retention. Health behaviour change interventions using social media have shown modest evidence of effectiveness, and there have been calls to strengthen research targeting adolescents and the sustainability of their behaviour changes in the longer term. An automated WhatsApp-based coaching program for smoking cessation developed by ISGF provides a foundation for further development within the SUNRISE project.
SmartCoach will be enhanced within the SUNRISE project by leveraging the interactive and engaging features of social media platforms. Adolescents spend a considerable amount of time on platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok, making these platforms ideal for delivering health interventions. By integrating SmartCoach with these social media platforms, the program aims to increase engagement, retention, and effectiveness.
For instance, WhatsApp can be used to send automated messages and provide a communication channel for adolescents to interact with addiction experts. YouTube and TikTok can be used to share engaging multimedia content that promotes healthy behaviours and provides educational resources about cancer prevention. These platforms can also facilitate peer support and create a community of adolescents who are committed to adopting healthier lifestyles.
By integrating digital tools and leveraging social media, SmartCoach aims to create a more engaging, effective, and sustainable intervention for adolescent health behaviour change. The focus is primarily on preventing substance use and promoting healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of cancer. The SUNRISE project seeks to bridge existing gaps in adolescent health promotion, reduce social inequalities in primary cancer prevention, and become a reference point in Europe and beyond for adolescents, their parents, educators, and public health experts.
The SUNRISE project and the SmartCoach program represent a significant step forward in the primary prevention of cancer among adolescents. By addressing the challenges of traditional health promotion programs and leveraging the power of digital interventions, these initiatives aim to create lasting health behaviour changes that will reduce the risk of cancer and improve overall health outcomes for future generations.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
PREVENTION
NONE
Study Groups
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Control
No intervention
No interventions assigned to this group
Intervention
SmartCoach program
SmartCoach
Participants will receive a tailored life-skills training program over four months, which includes 2-4 personalized messages per week via Whatsapp. These messages, in the form of microdialogues generated by an automated system, will focus on self-management skills, social skills and substance use resistance skills. The program will use interactive elements such as quiz questions, behavioural plans, message contests and multimedia content (audio testimonials, motivational podcasts, videos, images and links to relevant websites).
Interventions
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SmartCoach
Participants will receive a tailored life-skills training program over four months, which includes 2-4 personalized messages per week via Whatsapp. These messages, in the form of microdialogues generated by an automated system, will focus on self-management skills, social skills and substance use resistance skills. The program will use interactive elements such as quiz questions, behavioural plans, message contests and multimedia content (audio testimonials, motivational podcasts, videos, images and links to relevant websites).
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Mobile Device and Internet Access: Students must have access to a smartphone and the Internet.
* Informed Consent: Students must provide their signed informed consent to participate in the study.
* Parental Consent: Students must obtain and submit signed informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.
Exclusion Criteria
* Consent Issues: Students who have not signed the informed consent form or do not have signed informed consent from their parents or legal guardians.
* Follow-up Limitations: Students who are unable to commit to the follow-up period of at least 18 months or are unlikely to complete the study.
14 Years
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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University Ghent
OTHER
FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA DELLE ASSOCIAZIONI DI VOLONTARIATO IN ONCOLOGIA
UNKNOWN
Hellenic Mediterranean University
OTHER
University of Zurich
OTHER
FISABIO (Foundation for the Promotion of Healthcare and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Community)
UNKNOWN
Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF)
UNKNOWN
Alma Mater Europaea University
UNKNOWN
The Oncology Institute "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuţă" Cluj-Napoca
UNKNOWN
Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute
OTHER_GOV
Responsible Party
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Locations
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Ghent University (UGENT)
Ghent, , Belgium
Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF)
Nicosia, , Cyprus
Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU)
Heraklion, , Greece
Italian Federation of Voluntary Associations in Oncology (FAVO)
Roma, , Italy
Institute of Oncology "Prof dr. Ion Chiricuta" CLUJ NAPOCA (IOCN)
Cluj-Napoca, , Romania
Alma Mater Europaea University (AMEU)
Maribor, , Slovenia
Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (Fisabio
Valencia, , Spain
Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF)
Zurich, , Switzerland
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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David Bogataj
Role: backup
References
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Maher CA, Lewis LK, Ferrar K, Marshall S, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Vandelanotte C. Are health behavior change interventions that use online social networks effective? A systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2014 Feb 14;16(2):e40. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2952.
Bandura A. Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Educ Behav. 2004 Apr;31(2):143-64. doi: 10.1177/1090198104263660.
Haug S, Schaub MP, Venzin V, Meyer C, John U. Efficacy of a text message-based smoking cessation intervention for young people: a cluster randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2013 Aug 16;15(8):e171. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2636.
Stockings E, Hall WD, Lynskey M, Morley KI, Reavley N, Strang J, Patton G, Degenhardt L. Prevention, early intervention, harm reduction, and treatment of substance use in young people. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016 Mar;3(3):280-96. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00002-X. Epub 2016 Feb 18.
Thomas RE, McLellan J, Perera R. School-based programmes for preventing smoking. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Apr 30;2013(4):CD001293. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001293.pub3.
Haug S, Paz Castro R, Wenger A, Schaub MP. A Mobile Phone-Based Life-Skills Training Program for Substance Use Prevention Among Adolescents: Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Jul 13;9(7):e26951. doi: 10.2196/26951.
Champion KE, Parmenter B, McGowan C, Spring B, Wafford QE, Gardner LA, Thornton L, McBride N, Barrett EL, Teesson M, Newton NC; Health4Life team. Effectiveness of school-based eHealth interventions to prevent multiple lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Digit Health. 2019 Sep;1(5):e206-e221. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30088-3. Epub 2019 Aug 19.
Paz Castro R, Haug S, Wenger A, Schaub MP. Longer-Term Efficacy of a Digital Life-Skills Training for Substance Use Prevention. Am J Prev Med. 2022 Dec;63(6):944-953. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.06.017. Epub 2022 Aug 18.
Domitrovich CE, Durlak JA, Staley KC, Weissberg RP. Social-Emotional Competence: An Essential Factor for Promoting Positive Adjustment and Reducing Risk in School Children. Child Dev. 2017 Mar;88(2):408-416. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12739. Epub 2017 Feb 18.
Al-Hosni K, Chan MF, Al-Azri M. The Effectiveness of Interventional Cancer Education Programs for School Students Aged 8-19 Years: a Systematic Review. J Cancer Educ. 2021 Apr;36(2):229-239. doi: 10.1007/s13187-020-01868-1.
Herlitz L, MacIntyre H, Osborn T, Bonell C. The sustainability of public health interventions in schools: a systematic review. Implement Sci. 2020 Jan 6;15(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s13012-019-0961-8.
Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021 May;71(3):209-249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. Epub 2021 Feb 4.
Related Links
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HBSC- Health Behaviour School-aged Cildren
Other Identifiers
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SUNRISE_Study1
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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