Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of Dependence and Nicotine Replacement Therapy-Supported Cessation Efforts Among Regular Electronic Cigarette Use

This study aims to improve understanding of how people who use electronic cigarettes (ECIGs or e-cigarettes) respond when they try to stop using them and whether nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can make that process easier. NRT products, such as nicotine patches and lozenges, are approved medications that help reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms by providing nicotine without the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke or e-cigarette aerosol. The study has two parts. During the first part, all participants will continue using their own e-cigarettes as they normally would for three days. This allows researchers to understand each participant's typical e-cigarette use before any changes are made. In the second part, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive nicotine replacement therapy, including nicotine patches and nicotine lozenges, to use for up to seven days. The first two days are intended to help participants adjust to the medications while they continue using their e-cigarettes. During the following five days, participants will be encouraged to stop using their e-cigarettes while continuing to use the nicotine replacement products. The other group will be asked to stop using all nicotine and tobacco products for five days without receiving nicotine replacement therapy. Throughout the study, researchers will regularly ask participants about their cravings, withdrawal symptoms, motivation to quit, and experiences using or not using e-cigarettes. Researchers will also measure how much participants use their e-cigarettes and assess exposure to nicotine and other chemicals. The information collected will help researchers better understand whether nicotine replacement therapy can support people who are trying to stop using e-cigarettes. It will also help identify the most accurate ways to measure e-cigarette use and abstinence in future research, which may improve the development and evaluation of treatments for e-cigarette dependence.

Parents Helping Parents for Youth Vaping Cessation

The goal of this randomized controlled study is to test if this new intervention works to help adolescents quit vaping. A key feature of the program is the use of peer support for parents, delivered by trained parent coaches. Participants will complete baseline and follow up surveys. Parents in the intervention arm will receive peer support as part of the program.

Adapting an Intervention for Vaping in Young Veterans

The objective of this proposal is to adapt an evidence-based combustible tobacco counseling intervention following an evidence-based process to include e-cigarette use and update its components for emerging adults (EA). 1. Examine factors related to e-cigarette use, barriers to cessation, and facilitators of use of cessation services among an EA population. 2. Beta-test an initial version of the intervention, delivered via video telehealth and telephone, to examine usability and acceptability.

Novel Pulmonary Imaging of Lung Structure and Function in E-cigarette Smokers

This is a longitudinal study of the long-term health impact of e-cigarette smoking on the lungs. Participants will be followed over a period of 5 years, and impacts of e-cigarette smoking on the lungs will be measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using hyperpolarized xenon-129 gas, pulmonary function tests, exercise capacity, computed tomography images and questionnaires.

Impact of Aversive Warnings on E-Cigarette Cessation

This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of aversive visual health warnings on e-cigarette cessation among young adults through a randomized controlled trial, as e-cigarette use among this population has been steadily increasing, posing significant public health concerns. While traditional tobacco products have long featured health warnings, e-cigarettes lack similarly aversive visual warnings, and this study seeks to inform the development of targeted e-cigarette cessation strategies and contribute to a deeper understanding of how visual health warnings can be utilized to reduce e-cigarette use and ultimately improve public health. The project has three main aims, which include a rigorous assessment of the academic literature on e-cigarette risks and adverse effects to develop evidence-based mock visual health warnings for e-cigarettes; assessing the effectiveness of aversive visual health warnings in increasing intent to cessate e-cigarettes, with a particular focus on individuals who have experienced adverse events; and examining the long-term impacts of visual health warnings on e-cigarette cessation. This study will also investigate the underlying mechanisms that may explain the relationship of the intervention on cessation. To generate visual warnings, the research team will conduct a thorough review of the scientific literature on e-cigarette risks and adverse effects and collaborate with a graphic designer. Experimental warnings will be annotated and categorized in order to understand the influence of different imagery on variations in participant response. The study will be conducted as a randomized controlled trial, recruiting participants through market research firms that will distribute an online survey to their panels of e-cigarette users. Participants will be eligible for inclusion if they are 18-29 years old and currently use e-cigarettes at least once per week. A quota will be included to ensure sufficient responses from individuals who have experienced at least one adverse event related to e-cigarette use in the past 12 months. The intervention group will be exposed to a series of aversive visual health warnings about the potential health risks of e-cigarette use, delivered through the online survey platform, while the control group will not receive any intervention and will complete the same survey as the intervention group. Data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques, including logistic regression and mediation/moderation analysis, to assess the effectiveness of the aversive visual health warnings in reducing e-cigarette use and the moderating effects of prior adverse event experience. Participants will be contacted for follow-up assessments at 3-months post-intervention to investigate the impact of aversive visual health warnings on e-cigarette cessation among young adults, including the moderating effects of prior adverse event experience, and assess the underlying mechanisms that may explain the relationship between the intervention and e-cigarette cessation.