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The Impact of Group Commitment Contracts on Smoking Cessation and Weight Loss

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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04224727
Recruitment Status : Not yet recruiting
First Posted : January 13, 2020
Last Update Posted : June 22, 2022
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Northwestern University
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

Study Description
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Brief Summary:
We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of group commitment contracts for smoking cessation and weight loss.

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Smoking Cessation Weight Loss Behavioral: Group Commitment Contract Behavioral: Individual Monetary Rewards Behavioral: Individual Commitment Contract Other: Information Not Applicable

Detailed Description:

Initial screening will be conducted online via the Qualtrics survey platform. Respondents meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria will immediately be randomized into one of the intervention arms described below, and then take a baseline survey. This baseline survey will also be conducted online via the Qualtrics survey platform. The initial screening, randomization, and baseline survey should take approximately 15 minutes total and can be completed anywhere the participant has an internet connection.

INTERVENTION: Respondents who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized into one of the following arms:

  1. Control Arm (No Intervention)
  2. Group Contract Arm
  3. Individual Monetary Rewards Arm
  4. Individual Commitment Contract Arm

Subjects in Arms #2-4 will be cross-randomized into two subgroups:

A. Additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates."

B. No additional information treatments.

FOLLOW-UP SURVEY: After the participants finish their contract, they will be emailed a link to the follow-up survey that will be administered online via the Qualtrics survey platform. The survey should take approximately 5 minutes and can be completed anywhere the participant has an internet connection. Participants will be directly prompted to answer whether they have been able to quit smoking or lose their target weight in the past six months. If a participant self-reports a claim of smoking cessation or successful weight loss, they will be asked to furnish at-home verification of their claim.

IN-PERSON VERIFICATION: A randomly selected subset of successful participants will be asked for in-person verification of their claim with a urine test (smoking cessation) or in-person weigh-in (weight loss) at a Quest Diagnostics location of their choice.

Study Design
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Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Estimated Enrollment : 3600 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description:

Respondents who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be randomized into one of the following arms:

  1. Control Arm (No Intervention)
  2. Group Contract Arm
  3. Individual Monetary Rewards Arm
  4. Individual Commitment Contract Arm

To understand the effect that knowledge about the effectiveness of commitment contracts has on uptake, smoking quit rates, and weight loss, we will be cross-randomizing those assigned to Arms #2-4 into further subgroups:

Subgroup A. In the initial survey, participants will receive additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates." In other words, we aim to provide information that will encourage present-biased or loss-averse individuals to participate in the programs that offer the greatest chance at success.

Subgroup B. Participants will not receive any information about commitment contracts.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Official Title: The Impact of Group Commitment Contracts on Smoking Cessation and Weight Loss
Estimated Study Start Date : October 1, 2022
Estimated Primary Completion Date : November 30, 2024
Estimated Study Completion Date : November 30, 2024

Resource links provided by the National Library of Medicine


Arms and Interventions
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Arm Intervention/treatment
No Intervention: Control
Subjects are not offered a group commitment contract, individual commitment contract, or individual monetary rewards. Subjects do not receive additional information treatments.
Experimental: Group Commitment Contract + Information
Subjects are offered a group commitment contract for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Group Commitment Contract
A group contract where the primary individual, who will be tracked by the study, can invite peers to join the contract and form their group. To initiate a contract, a user must choose: the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight, and and, optionally, to allow other members to have the power to invite other people to join the group.

Other: Information
In the initial survey, participants will receive additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates."
Experimental: Individual Monetary Rewards + Information
Subjects are offered individual monetary rewards for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Individual Monetary Rewards
Individuals eligible for a $100 monetary reward (incentive) following verified smoking cessation or weight loss.

Other: Information
In the initial survey, participants will receive additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates."
Experimental: Individual Commitment Contract + Information
Subjects are offered an individual commitment contract for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Individual Commitment Contract
Individuals will have the opportunity to create an individual commitment contract to quit smoking. They will have the option to set the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight.

Other: Information
In the initial survey, participants will receive additional information treatments on the likelihood of success of the different incentives and contracts, with the goal of shifting "naives" to "sophisticates."
Experimental: Group Commitment Contract
Subjects are offered a group commitment contract for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive no additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Group Commitment Contract
A group contract where the primary individual, who will be tracked by the study, can invite peers to join the contract and form their group. To initiate a contract, a user must choose: the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight, and and, optionally, to allow other members to have the power to invite other people to join the group.
Experimental: Individual Monetary Rewards
Subjects are offered individual monetary rewards for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive no additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Individual Monetary Rewards
Individuals eligible for a $100 monetary reward (incentive) following verified smoking cessation or weight loss.
Experimental: Individual Commitment Contract
Subjects are offered an individual commitment contract for smoking cessation or weight loss and receive no additional information treatments.
 Behavioral: Individual Commitment Contract
Individuals will have the opportunity to create an individual commitment contract to quit smoking. They will have the option to set the stakes, start date, and (for weight loss contracts) target weight.


Outcome Measures
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Primary Outcome Measures :
  1. Smoking Cessation / Weight Loss [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
    Participants will be directly prompted to answer whether they have been able to quit smoking or reach their target weight in the past six months. If a participant self-reports a claim of success, they will be asked to furnish at-home (and, in some cases, in-person) verification.


Other Outcome Measures:
  1. Smoking Cessation / Weight Loss by Sex/Gender, Race, and Ethnicity [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
    Participants will be directly prompted to answer whether they have been able to quit smoking or reach their target weight in the past six months. If a participant self-reports a claim of success, they will be asked to furnish at-home (and, in some cases, in-person) verification.


Eligibility Criteria
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Information from the National Library of Medicine

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Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older   (Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • Has smartphone with capability to reach internet daily and download app
  • Able and willing to visit Quest location or take an at-home verification test
  • Willing to furnish a payment method for commitment contract stakes

If completing a smoking cessation contract:

  • Daily smoker

If completing a weight loss contract:

  • Has access to a functioning scale
  • Interest in losing weight at a pace of 2 lb or fewer per week, with a target BMI at or above 18.5

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy
  • Any terminal illness
Contacts and Locations
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Information from the National Library of Medicine

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): NCT04224727


Contacts
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Contact: Sneha Stephen, MA (857) 285-8169 SStephen@poverty-action.org

Locations
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United States, Illinois
Northwestern University, Global Poverty Research Lab
Evanston, Illinois, United States, 60208
Sponsors and Collaborators
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
Northwestern University
Investigators
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Principal Investigator: Dean Karlan, PhD Northwestern University
Principal Investigator: Anna Tuchman, PhD Northwestern University
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Zinman, PhD Dartmouth College
More Information
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Responsible Party: National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04224727    
Other Study ID Numbers: 0009
First Posted: January 13, 2020    Key Record Dates
Last Update Posted: June 22, 2022
Last Verified: June 2022
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
Plan to Share IPD: Yes
Supporting Materials: Study Protocol
Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP)
Informed Consent Form (ICF)
Analytic Code

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Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
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Body Weight
Weight Loss
Body Weight Changes