Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Feb;111(2):331-9.
doi: 10.1111/add.13144. Epub 2015 Nov 11.

Enhancing Quit & Win contests to improve cessation among college smokers: a randomized clinical trial

Janet L Thomas  1 , Xianghua Luo  2   3 , Jill Bengtson  1 , Qi Wang  4 , Winta Ghidei  1 , John Nyman  5 , Katherine Lust  6 , Lawrence An  7 , David W Wetter  8 , Leonard Epstein  9 , Jasjit S Ahluwalia  10
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Enhancing Quit & Win contests to improve cessation among college smokers: a randomized clinical trial

Janet L Thomas et al. Addiction. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Background and aims: Quit & Win contests (in which smokers pledge to quit smoking for a defined period in exchange for the chance to win a prize) may be well-suited for college smokers. We tested the effectiveness of multiple versus single Quit & Win contests and that of added counseling versus no counseling in smoking cessation.

Design: A two-by-two, randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.

Setting: Nineteen institutions in Minnesota, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Participants: College student smokers (n = 1217) were randomized within site to four conditions: single (n = 306), multiple contests alone (n = 309), single contest plus counseling (n = 296) or multiple contests with counseling (n = 306).

Intervention: Participants in the standard contest condition (T1 and T2) were asked to abstain from all tobacco products for a 30-day period; those with confirmed abstinence were eligible for a lottery-based prize. Participants assigned to the multiple contest conditions (T3 and T4) participated in the 30-day contest and were enrolled automatically into two additional contest periods with an escalating prize structure. Participants randomized into the counseling conditions (T2 and T4) received up to six telephone-administered Motivation and Problem Solving (MAPS) counseling sessions over the 12-week treatment period.

Measures: The primary outcome was biochemically verified 30-day point prevalence (PP) abstinence rate at 6 months. Secondary outcomes were the same abstinence at end of treatment (4 months) and a proxy measure of 6-month verified continuous abstinence rate. Outcomes were based on all participants randomized.

Findings: We found no evidence of an interaction between number of contests and counseling. Abstinence rates for multiple (13.5%) and single (11.7%) contests were not significantly different at 6 months [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.84-1.66]. The addition of counseling did not improve 6-month abstinence significantly (13.7 versus 11.6%, OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.86-1.70). Multiple contests increased abstinence at 4 months (19.3 versus 10.3%, OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.50-2.91) and continuous abstinence at 6 months (7.8 versus 3.8%, OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.28-3.56).

Conclusion: Multiple Quit & Win contests may increase smoking abstinence rates in college students more than single contests, but it is not clear whether adding counseling to these interventions produces any additional benefit.

Keywords: College students; financial incentives; smoking cessation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study Flowchart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Orleans CT. Helping young adult smokers quit: The time is now. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(8):1353.
    1. Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years’ observations on male British doctors. Br Med J. 2004;328(7455):1519. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agaken IT, King BA, Dube SR. Prevention CfDCa Current cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2005–2012 [2014 Contract No.: 63(02)] Morb Mort Wkly Rep. 2012;63: Q7:29–34. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2012. (SMA) 12-4713.
    1. Snyder TD, Dillow SA. Digest of Education Statistics 2012 [National Center for Education Statistcs (NCES) 2014-015] Q8. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education; 2013.

Publication types