Understanding the Real-World Impact of the Use of Three Alternate Nicotine-Delivery Products on Combustible Cigarette Use

Detailed Summary

The goal of this research is to understand the potential impact of two new FDA strategies to ensure the availability of safer Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems (ANDS) and to reduce the nicotine content in combustible cigarettes to non-addictive levels. Specifically, this research will examine how well ANDS and very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs) can work alone or in combination with the current strategy of providing a safe source of nicotine via nicotine replacement medications to reduce use of combustible cigarettes, in real-world settings. The investigators will enroll 180 daily adult smokers who are not planning to quit smoking within the next 30 days into this mixed design study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three levels of the between-subjects factor: 1) VLNC cigarettes; 2) Juul e-cigarettes (with nicotine); or 3) no alternative product. Participants receiving an alternative product (VLNC or e-cigarettes) will be asked to use it for 4 weeks (Weeks 1 through 4). During Weeks 2 and 4 all participants will be asked to switch from their cigarettes to use only study products (i.e., Juul e-cigarettes, VLNCs, or no alternative product) and to use either an active nicotine or placebo patch (the within-subjects factor), provided in double-blind fashion and counterbalanced order. During Weeks 1 through 4, participants will use a smartphone to record, in the moment, each time they use their own cigarettes or any alternative product. For a random daily subset of use events, participants will complete additional questions about the internal and external context of their use (e.g., affect, any restrictions on smoking) and their response to use (e.g., withdrawal alleviation, taste, satisfaction). Using these data, the investigators will also examine the effects of these products on the rewarding value of smoking and possible mechanisms driving such behavior (e.g., withdrawal alleviation, satisfaction, taste). This research will provide critical information regarding the potential impact of providing cigarettes with non-addictive levels of nicotine and safe ANDS, with or without nicotine replacement, in real-world settings on smokers' use of their usual cigarettes and other outcomes. Information on the short-term effects of products that could be accessible in the future will provide data that could inform regulatory policy decisions regarding the public health impact of safe ANDS and non-addictive cigarettes.

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions