One in ten Virginians smoke cigarettes or e-cigarettes, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that across the U.S. one in three cancer deaths are caused by smoking.
Researchers at Virginia Tech are studying a new method to help people quit smoking.
All 128 participants will receive evidence-based treatment, including nicotine patches. The researchers are also testing the effectiveness of a program that prompts them to think of things they look forward to in their personal lives.
“And sort of keep in touch with all the reasons that they wanted to quit and stay quit in the first place, which is ultimately to benefit their future health,” said Jeff Stein, an addiction researcher at Virginia Tech and assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Stein said prior research shows that many people who struggle with substance abuse, overeating, or smoking know the health risks and want to quit, but get distracted by day-to-day pressures.
These habits, Stein said, are driven by impulses. Future goals and risks may seem abstract in the moment.
“It’s far too easy to get distracted by kind of what’s happening in the here and now,” Stein said. “I mean, bills are due. We have to get the kids to school. We have to get to work. We have to worry about what’s for dinner. All those things kind of distract us from our long-term goals.”
Participants in the study will receive daily prompts through an app that helps them imagine how their future selves will benefit from healthier behavior, things like a positive health checkup, or better physical activity. “In a year I’ll be able to play with my kids without getting winded or without getting tired,” Stein said, as one example of a prompt participants may use to motivate them.
This study will not use artificial or augmented intelligence, said Stein, though they are looking into ways AI could help with other behavioral health studies in the future.
In April Stein will begin recruiting current smokers to participate in the 8-week study. For more information and to be notified when they begin recruiting, visit fralinbiomed.info/steinlab.
