A study looking at a new programme to help people give up smoking (iQuit)

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

All cancer types

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

This study is looking at using a leaflet and personalised text messages to help people give up smoking.

Cancer Research UK supports this study.

More about this trial

We know from research that smoking is a risk factor for different types of cancer. So stopping smoking is a good way for people to reduce their cancer risk and improve their health.

You can have help from your GP if you want to stop smoking. You usually have a meeting with a smoking cessation advisor (SCA) and have:

advice about how to stop smoking
a test to measure the amount of carbon monoxide in your breath
nicotine replacement therapy and other medications if you need

This is usual care.

But it can be difficult to stop smoking even with this help. So researchers in this study developed a programme called iQuit to help people give up smoking.

iQuit is a programme where you have a personalised leaflet and text messages. Researchers think that iQuit together with the usual care can be better at helping people stop smoking.

In this study you have 1 of the following:

usual care (control group )
usual care and iQuit (intervention group)

The main aim of this study is to find out how good iQuit is at helping people to stop smoking.

Who can enter

The following bullet points list the entry conditions for this study. Talk to your GP or the study team if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.

You may be able to join this study if all of the following apply. You:

Have smoked at least 1 cigarette every day in the past 7 days
Want to stop smoking within 2 weeks
Have a mobile phone and know how to receive and send text messages
Are at least 18 years old

You cannot join this study if you are taking part in another programme to help you stop smoking or if you have any serious medical condition or mental health problem that your GP thinks could affect you taking part.

Trial design

Researchers hope that around 1452 people from the UK will take part.

This study is randomised. The people taking part are put into 1 of the following groups by computer:

usual care (control group)
usual care and iQuit (intervention group)

Neither you nor your doctor will be able to decide which group you are.
study diagram

Usual care
You have a meeting with a smoking cessation advisor. During the meeting you:

have advice about how to stop smoking
have a test to measure the level or carbon monoxide in your breath
choose a date to stop smoking (a quit date)
get nicotine replacement therapy and other medications if you need
complete a questionnaire about your health

After 4 weeks you have a follow up meeting or a telephone call. This is to check how you are and if you have stopped smoking.

Usual care and iQuit
You have a meeting with a smoking cessation advisor and have advice about how to stop smoking, a carbon monoxide test and medications if you need. You also complete a questionnaire and choose a date to stop smoking.

Then the smoking cessation adviser asks you:

your age
how many cigarettes you smoke
the reasons (motivations) for wanting to stop smoking

The adviser puts your answers in the iQuit programme that then makes a leaflet for you to take home. It has personalised advice to stop smoking.

You‘ll also receive text messages. You get the 1st text message on the day before you stop smoking and for 90 days (about 3 months) afterwards. You can get up to 2 text messages a day.

You can also send text messages saying:

help (if you are tempted to smoke)
slip (if you have smoked)
stop (to stop getting text messages)

You’ll receive extra text messages if you text help.

Questionnaire
Everyone completes a questionnaire after 6 months of taking part in this study. It asks about:

your health
if you stopped smoking
your opinion about this study

The study team will send you the questionnaire to your home or will email it to you. They can also call you instead.

Saliva (spit) sample
The study team might ask you to give a saliva sample if you stop smoking. They will send you a saliva collection kit with instructions and a freepost envelope for you to return the sample.

You don’t have to give a saliva sample if you don’t want to. You can have a test to measure the level of carbon monoxide instead.

Hospital visits

You do not have any hospital visits as part of this study.

Side effects

There are no side effects from taking part in this study. You may find some of the text messages distressing but you can text, call or email the study team to stop getting them.