Smoking CessationNCT03921606
Using ICT to Deliver Brief Motivational Interviewing to Promote Smoking Cessation Among Smokers With Chronic Diseases
A study testing Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) and Individual face-to-face generic health advice in people with Smoking Cessation, run by The University of Hong Kong at 1 site in Hong Kong.
Trial summary
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a general health promotion (GHP) approach using information communication technology (ICT) to deliver a brief motivational interviewing (MI) to motivate smokers with chronic diseases to quit smoking. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Smoking Cessation
- What is being tested?
- Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) and Individual face-to-face generic health advice
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 720 participants
- Where
- 1 siteHong Kong
- Study dates
- 10 Apr 2019to 1 Mar 2021
- 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 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- aged 18 years or above,
- able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese
- do not intend to quit smoking (pre-contemplation stage), but are willing to promote their health
- use a smartphone and can use an instant messaging tool (e.g., WhatsApp/WeChat)
- willing to receive health promotion advice and interact with our interventionist via WhatsApp/WeChat on a smartphone throughout the study period
Who cannot join
- inability to give informed consent or participate in our intervention due to impaired mental status, cognitive impairment or communication barriers
- participate in another smoking cessation programme or service
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Hong Kong1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Ho Cheung William Li, PhD, 39176634, william3@hku.hk
Ho Cheung William Li, PhD
About this study
Official title: Using Information Communication Technology (Whatsapp/WeChat) to Deliver Brief Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) to Promote Smoking Cessation Among Smokers With Chronic Diseases
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a general health promotion (GHP) approach using information communication technology (ICT) to deliver a brief motivational interviewing (MI) to motivate smokers with chronic diseases to quit smoking. Subjects in the intervention group will receive a GHP approach using ICT (e.g., WhatsApp/WeChat) to deliver brief MI. Subjects in the control group will receive an individual face-to-face generic health advice plus a self-help booklet on smoking cessation at the time of recruitment.
Read the detailed description
Smoking exerts harmful effects on nearly every organ of the body and causes 7 million deaths worldwide each year. In Hong Kong, despite a decrease in the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking from 23.3% in 1982 to 10.0% in 2017, there are still 615,000 daily smokers. The evidence has shown that continued smoking in patients with chronic diseases can reduce the efficacy of medical treatments and increase the risk of treatment-related side effects. Nevertheless, many smokers with chronic diseases have a long smoking history, a strong nicotine dependency, and have not attempted or have no intention to quit. It is essential to develop and evaluate a more innovative and effective intervention to enhance the acceptability of smoking cessation for smokers with chronic diseases.
The proposed intervention will aim to facilitate the movement through five stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance)15 via the (i) foot-in-the-door technique and (ii) a brief MI. The World Health Organization defines medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices as mobile health, a new strategy to promote health.21 Instant messaging, such as WhatsApp/WeChat delivered by mobile devices, is widely used for health promotion and treatment compliance.22 One advantage of using WhatsApp/WeChat is that it can offer quick, real-time interactions and continuing professional advice and support for subjects to manage their health-related lifestyle practices. Most importantly, WhatsApp/WeChat is more flexible, efficient and time-saving compared to face-to-face meetings to deliver a brief MI as face-to-face meetings would require the subjects to return several times for interventions. A systematic review of the use of mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation showed that smokers who received instant messages via mobile phones were more likely to abstain from smoking compared to those who used traditional face-to-face cessation services.23 A recent study conducted by our team in Hong Kong also showed that the use of WhatsApp for instant messaging was more effective in smoking relapse prevention for recent quitters.24 However, we found no reports or proposals based on the above conceptual framework and strategies in which ICTs were used with smokers who had no intention to quit.
- Conditions
- Smoking Cessation
- Being tested
- Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI), Individual face-to-face generic health advice
- Medical subject headings
- Smoking Cessation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI)Behavioural
A brief MI via WhatsApp/WeChat
Individual face-to-face generic health adviceBehavioural
Individual face-to-face generic health advice (about 5 minutes) on a health-related lifestyle practice such as eating more vegetables and fruits, eating less high salt, fat or sugar foods, consuming less sugary drinks, engaging in more exercise of any kind or intensity, reducing alcohol consumption or reducing weight (if overweight or obese). A self-help booklet on smoking cessation published by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health with Hotline will be also provided in the SOPCs.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | The experimental group will receive a brief MI via WhatsApp/WeChat on a smartphone during the study period. The brief MI messages will be delivered more intensively as preferred by the subject (usually not less than once every 2 to 3 days and no more than 2 times per day) for the first 6 months. The frequency of delivering the messages via WhatsApp/WeChat will be interactive, depending on the subjects' actions and responses, and may take several sessions of chats within several days or weeks. However, the total time spent by the interventionist will not be more than that for a traditional MI with several long sessions. After 6 months, minimal messages will be provided to the subjects by merely following their progress of behavioural changes and responding to their questions to maintain contact until the 1-year follow-up. The total time spent will be recorded and analysed. Receives: Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) |
| Control group | Other | The control group will receive individual face-to-face generic health advice (about 5 minutes) on a health-related lifestyle practice such as eating more vegetables and fruits, eating less high salt, fat or sugar foods, consuming less sugary drinks, engaging in more exercise of any kind or intensity, reducing alcohol consumption or reducing weight (if overweight or obese) in SOPCs. A self-help booklet on smoking cessation published by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health with Hotline will be also provided in the SOPCs. The subjects in this group will receive the same schedule of follow-ups as in the intervention group, but they will not receive any follow-up booster intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Individual face-to-face generic health advice |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 6 months
The biochemically validated smoking abstinence will be confirmed by a saliva cotinine level of less than 115 ng/ml in parallel test and a carbon monoxide level in expired air of less than 9 parts per million (ppm)
Measured: 6-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes (3)
biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 12 months
The biochemically validated smoking abstinence will be confirmed by a saliva cotinine level of less than 115 ng/ml in parallel test and a carbon monoxide level in expired air of less than 9 parts per million (ppm)
Measured: 12-month follow-up
Self-reported 7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence at 6 and 12 months
Structured questionnaires will be developed by adopting or modifying international and/or locally validated instruments.
Measured: 6- and 12-month follow-up
Any behavioural change reported by the subjects at 3, 6 and 12 months
EQ-5D five-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) will be administered at 3, 6, and 12 months. Chinese-specific EQ-5D-5L value set will enable the estimation of EQ-5D-5L health utility scores applicable for Chinese population.
Measured: 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Apr 2019
- Study start10 Apr 2019
- Primary completion1 Mar 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Mar 2021 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Smoking CessationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The University of Hong KongThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 720 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Hong Kong
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Ho Cheung William Li, PhD, Principal investigator, The University of Hong Kong
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03921606
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NTWCREC19001
- Status last verified
- Nov 2020
- First submitted
- 4 Mar 2019
- Last updated
- 4 Nov 2020
- 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 4 Nov 2020. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Using Information Communication Technology (Whatsapp/WeChat) to Deliver Brief Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) to Promote Smoking Cessation Among Smokers With Chronic Diseases
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03921606
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NTWCREC19001
- Conditions
- Smoking Cessation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 720 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Hong KongUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Apr 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Mar 2021 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Mar 2021 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Apr 2019 (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.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a general health promotion (GHP) approach using information communication technology (ICT) to deliver a brief motivational interviewing (MI) to motivate smokers with chronic diseases to quit smoking. Subjects in the intervention group will receive a GHP approach using ICT (e.g., WhatsApp/WeChat) to deliver brief MI. Subjects in the control group will receive an individual face-to-face generic health advice plus a self-help booklet on smoking cessation at the time of recruitment.
Detailed description
Smoking exerts harmful effects on nearly every organ of the body and causes 7 million deaths worldwide each year. In Hong Kong, despite a decrease in the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking from 23.3% in 1982 to 10.0% in 2017, there are still 615,000 daily smokers. The evidence has shown that continued smoking in patients with chronic diseases can reduce the efficacy of medical treatments and increase the risk of treatment-related side effects. Nevertheless, many smokers with chronic diseases have a long smoking history, a strong nicotine dependency, and have not attempted or have no intention to quit. It is essential to develop and evaluate a more innovative and effective intervention to enhance the acceptability of smoking cessation for smokers with chronic diseases.
The proposed intervention will aim to facilitate the movement through five stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance)15 via the (i) foot-in-the-door technique and (ii) a brief MI. The World Health Organization defines medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices as mobile health, a new strategy to promote health.21 Instant messaging, such as WhatsApp/WeChat delivered by mobile devices, is widely used for health promotion and treatment compliance.22 One advantage of using WhatsApp/WeChat is that it can offer quick, real-time interactions and continuing professional advice and support for subjects to manage their health-related lifestyle practices. Most importantly, WhatsApp/WeChat is more flexible, efficient and time-saving compared to face-to-face meetings to deliver a brief MI as face-to-face meetings would require the subjects to return several times for interventions. A systematic review of the use of mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation showed that smokers who received instant messages via mobile phones were more likely to abstain from smoking compared to those who used traditional face-to-face cessation services.23 A recent study conducted by our team in Hong Kong also showed that the use of WhatsApp for instant messaging was more effective in smoking relapse prevention for recent quitters.24 However, we found no reports or proposals based on the above conceptual framework and strategies in which ICTs were used with smokers who had no intention to quit.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI)The experimental group will receive a brief MI via WhatsApp/WeChat on a smartphone during the study period. The brief MI messages will be delivered more intensively as preferred by the subject (usually not less than once every 2 to 3 days and no more than 2 times per day) for the first 6 months. The frequency of delivering the messages via WhatsApp/WeChat will be interactive, depending on the subjects' actions and responses, and may take several sessions of chats within several days or weeks. However, the total time spent by the interventionist will not be more than that for a traditional MI with several long sessions. After 6 months, minimal messages will be provided to the subjects by merely following their progress of behavioural changes and responding to their questions to maintain contact until the 1-year follow-up. The total time spent will be recorded and analysed. |
| Control group | Other | Behavioral: Individual face-to-face generic health adviceThe control group will receive individual face-to-face generic health advice (about 5 minutes) on a health-related lifestyle practice such as eating more vegetables and fruits, eating less high salt, fat or sugar foods, consuming less sugary drinks, engaging in more exercise of any kind or intensity, reducing alcohol consumption or reducing weight (if overweight or obese) in SOPCs. A self-help booklet on smoking cessation published by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health with Hotline will be also provided in the SOPCs. The subjects in this group will receive the same schedule of follow-ups as in the intervention group, but they will not receive any follow-up booster intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- aged 18 years or above,
- able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese
- do not intend to quit smoking (pre-contemplation stage), but are willing to promote their health
- use a smartphone and can use an instant messaging tool (e.g., WhatsApp/WeChat)
- willing to receive health promotion advice and interact with our interventionist via WhatsApp/WeChat on a smartphone throughout the study period
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- inability to give informed consent or participate in our intervention due to impaired mental status, cognitive impairment or communication barriers
- participate in another smoking cessation programme or service
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI)A brief MI via WhatsApp/WeChat | Behavioural | Experimental group |
| Individual face-to-face generic health adviceIndividual face-to-face generic health advice (about 5 minutes) on a health-related lifestyle practice such as eating more vegetables and fruits, eating less high salt, fat or sugar foods, consuming less sugary drinks, engaging in more exercise of any kind or intensity, reducing alcohol consumption or reducing weight (if overweight or obese). A self-help booklet on smoking cessation published by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health with Hotline will be also provided in the SOPCs. | Behavioural | Control group |
Primary outcome
Biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 6 months
Time frame: 6-month follow-up
The biochemically validated smoking abstinence will be confirmed by a saliva cotinine level of less than 115 ng/ml in parallel test and a carbon monoxide level in expired air of less than 9 parts per million (ppm)
3 secondary outcomes
biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 12 months
Time frame: 12-month follow-up
Self-reported 7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence at 6 and 12 months
Time frame: 6- and 12-month follow-up
Any behavioural change reported by the subjects at 3, 6 and 12 months
Time frame: 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Nov 2020.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Smoking Cessation
Recruiting
Scalable TELeheaLth Cancer CARe: The STELLAR Program to Treat Cancer Risk Behaviors
Obesity, Smoking Cessation
Not yet recruiting
Smoking Cessation Program for Lao People With HIV
Smoking Cessation, HIV
RecruitingPhase 3
Studying NMDA and Sigma-1 in Smoking Cessation Treatment (SUMMIT)
Smoking Cessation
Not yet recruiting
Impacto 2.0: Mobile Smoking Cessation Across Texas
Cigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation
Not yet recruitingObservational study
PROMETHEE: A Shared Interregional Tele-Tobacco Cessation Platform Embedded Within the IMPULSION Lung Cancer Screening Program
Smoking Cessation, Lung Cancer Screening
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.
Ho Cheung William Li, PhD principal investigator
The University of Hong Kong
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Motivational Interviewing (i-BMI) and Individual face-to-face generic health advice in people with Smoking Cessation, run by The University of Hong Kong at 1 site 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Nov 2020. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site 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?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Ho Cheung William Li, PhD (+85239176634, william3@hku.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Biochemically validated smoking abstinence at 6 months (time frame: 6-month follow-up). 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 4 Nov 2020; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.