Vaping Cessation Among Youth: Evaluating the Kick-Nic! App
Yale University
Summary
High school students who want to quit vaping will be randomized to receive the Kick-Nic! app or a control NCI website to determine the efficacy of the app for vaping cessation. Participants will be screened for eligibility, then go through an 8 week treatment period where they will be given access to use the Kick-Nic! app or referred to the NCI Quit Vaping website. This will be followed by 1, 2, 3, and 6 month follow up visits. Qualitative interviews with participants and school staff will also be conducted to obtain feedback on the app and best ways to implement/disseminate the app. Abstinence rates will be assessed biweekly during treatment including at end of treatment (EOT), and then at 1, 2, 3 and 6 month follow ups (FU). Biochemical verification (salivary cotinine \< 30 ng.ml) of self-reports of abstinence will be conducted at EOT and 6-month FU.
Description
Youth will be randomized to receive the Kick-Nic!© app (ACTIVE group) or a CONTROL assessment condition who will be given referrals to the NCI Quit Vaping webpage. Description of NCI Quit Vaping webpage: The NCI webpage provides quitting tobacco resources for youth, including for e-cigarettes. Importantly, the information provided is similar to the CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) skills modeled by the Kick-Nic! © app. The Quit Vaping section provides education/modules on how to quit vaping including 1) "build my quit plan", 2) "get a vaping reality check", 3) "how to quit vaping", 4) "your…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 13–19 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. high school aged youth (13-19 years old), 2. regular current (past month) e-cig users using nicotine-containing e-cigs at least 1 day/week. 3. want to quit using e-cigarettes. 4. have a smartphone with data/WIFI plan in order to access and utilize the KickNic! app Exclusion Criteria: * Those who have non-stable (\<2 months) use of anxiolytics, antidepressants, and other psychostimulants or have a history of psychosis or any significant current psychiatric/medical condition that would increase risk will be excluded.
Interventions
- BehavioralKick-Nic! mobile phone application
The Kick-Nic! app has seven modules that cover core CBT strategies using skills, graphic illustrations, and interactive components to help adolescents quit using e-cigarettes.
- BehavioralNCI Quit Vaping website
The NCI webpage provides quitting tobacco resources for youth, including for e-cigarettes. The information provided is similar to the CBT skills modeled by the Kick-Nic! app.
Location
- Yale University School of Medicine (Connecticut Mental Health Center)New Haven, Connecticut