Novel Incentives and Messaging in an Online College Smoking Intervention

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of an online intervention targeting college smokers. The incentives involved discounted or free goods and services from businesses proximal to each campus. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 122 current smokers recruited from 2 Southeastern US universities. The intervention involved health behavior monitoring, targeted messaging, and incentives for healthy goods and services versus the American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking online. RESULTS: The intervention achieved greater adherence and utilization (p's < .001). Overall, 55.6% learned about a local business through this program. At end-of-treatment, intervention participants less frequently attempted to quit (p = .02) but smoked fewer cigarettes/day (p = .05). Both groups demonstrated significant end-of-treatment cessation rates. CONCLUSIONS: This intervention demonstrated feasibility and acceptability.