College Smoking Cessation via Wireless Devices

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DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): The purpose of this project is to develop and test the feasibility of a combined Internet and wireless text messaging application to deliver a smoking cessation program targeting college smokers. Smoking among college students has increased significantly in the past decade but few smoking cessation interventions are tailored to this population of smokers. Based on self-regulation theory, a smoking cessation intervention will be developed which will intervene with college smokers via two communication services typically used by college students, the internet and wireless text messaging (e.g. SMS). The Phase I prototype will allow the user to personalize and tailor the cessation program via web interface. The web site also will provide cessation training modules not easily delivered in limited text messaging formats. Once personalized, the program will send text messages to the user at specified times in preparation of quitting, on the specified quit date, and for relapse prevention purposes post quit. Interactive messaging will be used to assess and dynamically adjust the program as needed. Email and text messaging alerts to social supports also will be utilized by the program to promote a successful quit attempt. After development and testing of the Phase I prototype, feasibility testing will be performed at the University of Notre Dame. Fifty college students who smoke regularly and desire to quit will be recruited for this six-week, pre-post trial. Feasibility criteria will include program utilization, quit attempts, and reductions in nicotine dependence, as well as seven day point prevalence abstinence at post-treatment, validated via CO and saliva cotinine. By using an intervention theory consistent with the highly variable and stimulus-bound smoking behavior of college smokers delivered via two modalities which are commonly used by this population, it is hypothesized that this smoking cessation program will be accepted and utilized by college smokers and produce cessation rates comparable or superior to most self-help smoking cessation interventions.