Clinical trial · Interventional
Self-determination Plus Instant Messaging for Smokers With Cancer
Efficacy of a Self-determination Theory-based Smoking Cessation Intervention Plus Instant Messaging Via Mobile Application for Smokers With Cancer: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Objective: To test the efficacy of a self-determination theory-based intervention plus instant messaging to help smokers with cancer quit smoking. Hypothesis to be tested: Subjects who are allowed to choose their quit schedule and receive regular instant messaging about smoking cessation will show a significantly higher biochemically validated quit rate than those who receive only brief advice to quit immediately. Design and Subjects: An RCT will be conducted to 1448 smokers with cancer attending the outpatient clinics of five major acute care hospitals in Hong Kong for medical follow-up. Instruments: A structured questionnaire will be used to assess subjects' smoking history and demographic and clinical characteristics. EQ-5D-5L will be used to measure subjects' quality of life. Interventions: The intervention group will receive brief advice and will be invited to choose their own quit schedules (immediate or progressive) in the outpatient clinics. They will receive instant messaging about smoking cessation during the first 6-month follow-up period. The control group will receive brief advice to quit smoking immediately in the outpatient clinics, and will receive a placebo intervention during the first 6-month follow-up period. Subjects in both groups will receive leaflets on smoking cessation.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Smoking | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWARD model | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Self-determination theory-based intervention plus instant messaging | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Intervention group
- description
- Each subject will receive a specially designed leaflet for smokers with cancer. subjects will receive brief interventions using the AWARD model and they will be allowed to select their own quit schedules (quit immediately, or quit progressively) with the ultimate goal of complete cessation. Subjects who opt to quit progressively will receive a smoking reduction leaflet. Over the next 6 months, the research nurse will help them to adhere to their schedules by sending WhatsApp/WeChat messages. subjects will receive four independent 1-minute videos (one video will be sent in weeks 1, 5, 9, and 13) via WhatsApp/WeChat.
- interventionNames
- Other: Self-determination theory-based intervention plus instant messaging
- type
- PLACEBO_COMPARATOR
- label
- Control group
- description
- Subjects will receive a brief intervention using the AWARD model. However, all subjects will be advised to quit immediately. Control group subjects will receive the same leaflet for smokers with cancer as intervention group subjects. Subjects will receive a placebo intervention that follows the same WhatsApp/WeChat schedule as the intervention group, but the messages will contain only general health advice, such as to perform more physical activity and eat more fruit and vegetables. The control group will not receive any videos.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * smoked weekly in the last 6 months, * diagnosed with any cancer for at least 6 months and at all cancer stages (I, II, III, or IV), * aged 18 years or above and can communicate in Cantonese, and * own a smartphone and able to use instant messaging (e.g. WhatsApp or WeChat) Exclusion Criteria: * individuals with unstable medical conditions, poor cognitive state, or mental illness as advised by the doctor in charge and noted on their medical records, and * those participating in other smoking cessation programmes.
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available