UW-CTRI is embarking on a new study to gauge the effectiveness of Smokefree.gov, the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Web site to help Americans quit smoking. This study will evaluate combinations of five different treatments, including:

1. Smokefree.gov (and Women.Smokefree.gov).
2. The Cancer Information Service (CIS) quit line.
3. E-mail messages.
4. Pamphlets.
5. Nicotine-replacement medications. 

Each participant will be randomized into being “on” or “off” for each of the five treatments. This creates 32 combinations of the treatments, or a complete factorial design. The goal, of course, is to see which of the interventions exerts a significant effect relative to a control condition. All participants (even those who are “off” for all five treatments) will receive Web services and mailed information. Those in the “off” groupings will get a reduced version of the Web and mailed treatments.

A New Frontier
Research is scant on the effectiveness of Web-based quit-tobacco treatments. But it’s clear that Web surfing is popular and common across socioeconomic groups in America. According to a 2006 article in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, smokers were only slightly less likely to use the Internet at home (83%) than former smokers (87%) and never smokers (88%). Approximately 80 percent of American Internet users seek health information online. A Cochrane review of 20 Internet-based interventions to help smokers quit found that tailored interventions accompanied by frequent reminders assisted efforts to quit smoking; but outcomes were inconsistent and more evidence is needed.

While UW-CTRI has extensive experience with smokers signing up for studies on its Web site, the lion’s share of those volunteers were referred from another source, such as TV ads or media coverage. In this NCI study, researchers will recruit 1,000 smokers who spontaneously visit Smokefree.gov or Women.Smokefree.gov.

The primary goal of this research is to obtain experimental data on the effectiveness of NCI’s Smokefree.gov and CIS’ quit line. Secondary goals are to: 

1. Determine how much the participants use the interventions.
2. Identify the factors that appear to enhance or interfere with the success of the intervention (such as stressors, environmental factors and the like).
3. Compare benefits for important smoker populations.
4. Determine whether any of the interventions produce subtractive or synergistic effects.
5. Obtain basic estimates on the economics involved, such as cost per quitter. 

The project will also include a sub-study directed toward 100 pregnant women (or women who are interested in participating but are unwilling to agree to utilize approved contraceptive methods for the duration of the study). This sub-study will utilize all of the treatment conditions except the medication condition, since medication is not recommended for women who are pregnant in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treatment guideline for tobacco dependence.