Using Group Commitment for Smoking Cessation
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01311115 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : March 9, 2011
Results First Posted : September 15, 2022
Last Update Posted : September 15, 2022
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This study proposes a novel behavioral intervention to help smokers in Thailand to achieve their goals of quitting. Smoking treatment programs are rare throughout most of Asia and unlikely to meet the impending demand for quitting that tobacco control regulations is stimulating. New approaches are needed.
The present study is a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a novel, scalable approach to smoking cessation that is targeted toward rural Southeast Asian communities. Thailand is used as a test case to explore if pairs of smokers quit successfully after making financially-backed commitments and receiving cash incentives to quit. The control group receives education and counseling about quitting. In addition to education and counseling about quitting, the intervention includes two key components:
- Each participant is encouraged to deposit his "cigarette money" on a weekly basis, to be returned only if the smoker quits successfully within three months. Such commitment contracts, based on theory from behavioral economics, are designed to help a person to maintain self-control and motivation in the face of temptation.
- Each participant is paired with another study participant. If both quit, each receives a cash bonus. The joint incentives are designed to lead partners to support each other throughout the quit attempt.
Thus, group commitment contracts marshal a robust blend of elements: financial commitment, social support, peer pressure, and monetary rewards. A larger, follow-up evaluation will clarify the relative importance of each of these elements.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Smoking | Behavioral: Group commitment contract Behavioral: Smoking cessation education and counseling | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 201 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Single (Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Using Group Commitment for Smoking Cessation |
Study Start Date : | November 2010 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | August 2011 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | March 2012 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Group commitment contracts
In addition to education and counseling, the intervention includes the following components:
|
Behavioral: Group commitment contract
Other Names:
Behavioral: Smoking cessation education and counseling Participants receive educational pamphlets on reasons to quit smoking and strategies for quitting smoking. They also receive one-time, group counseling on quitting smoking from a nurse trained in smoking cessation counseling.
Other Name: Smoking cessation counseling |
Active Comparator: Education and counseling
Participants in this group receive educational pamphlets about quitting smoking and one-time, group counseling from a nurse trained in smoking cessation counseling.
|
Behavioral: Smoking cessation education and counseling
Participants receive educational pamphlets on reasons to quit smoking and strategies for quitting smoking. They also receive one-time, group counseling on quitting smoking from a nurse trained in smoking cessation counseling.
Other Name: Smoking cessation counseling |
- Smoking Status at 6 Months [ Time Frame: 6 months after enrollment ]7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence measured 6 months after enrollment, using a NicCheck urine cotinine test. Participants who self-report having smoked in the last 7 days, as part of the follow-up survey, are considered to be continuing smokers.
- Concordance of Smoking Status Between Partners at 6 Months [ Time Frame: 6 months after enrollment ]The concordance of smoking status among randomly assigned pairs: both abstain, both smoke, or one abstains and one smokes, measured using 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 6 months after enrollment, measured using self-reported abstinence and urine cotinine testing. Participants in the control condition are assigned to a pair, but their partner's identity is never revealed during the study.
- Smoking Status at 3 Months [ Time Frame: 3 months after enrollment ]7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence measured 3 months after enrollment, using a NicCheck urine cotinine test. Participants who self-report having smoked in the last 7 days, as part of the follow-up survey, are considered to be continuing smokers.
- Concordance of Smoking Status Between Partners at 3 Months [ Time Frame: 3 months after enrollment ]The concordance of smoking status among randomly assigned pairs: both abstain, both smoke, or one abstains and one smokes, measured using 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 3 months after enrollment, measured using self-reported abstinence and urine cotinine testing. Participants in the control condition are assigned to a pair, but their partner's identity is never revealed during the study.
- Smoking Status at 14 Months [ Time Frame: 14 months after enrollment ]7-day point prevalence of smoking abstinence measured 6 months after enrollment, using a NicCheck urine cotinine test. Participants who self-report having smoked in the last 7 days, as part of the follow-up survey, are considered to be continuing smokers.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 20 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Current smoker of at least 10 cigarettes per week and at least 100 cigarettes over the course of a lifetime
- Residents of the study area in Nakhon Nayok province, which includes the six subdistricts of Klong Yai, Chumpon, Bueng San, Pak Phli, Khao Phoem, or Ongkharak
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant
- Plans to leave the study area within the next 12 months

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01311115
Thailand | |
Srinakharinwirot University | |
Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand, 26120 |
Study Director: | Justin S White, MA, MSPH | University of California at Berkeley | |
Principal Investigator: | William H Dow, PhD | University of California at Berkeley | |
Study Director: | Suthat Rungruanghiranya, MD | Srinakharinwirot University |
Responsible Party: | William Dow, Henry J. Kaiser Professor of Health Economics, University of California, Berkeley |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01311115 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
2010-04-1269 2P30AG012839-16 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) R21HD056581 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | March 9, 2011 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | September 15, 2022 |
Last Update Posted: | September 15, 2022 |
Last Verified: | August 2022 |