WithdrawnNot Applicable

Understanding How Cigarette Direct Mail Marketing Influences Smoking Behaviors Among High and Low Socioeconomic Status Young Adult Smokers

Stopped: Study closed due to staffing, operational, and technical challenges that have prevented study initiation; no participant activities or data collection have occurred.

United States0Started 2026-03-17

Plain-language summary

Background: Smoking is a major public health problem in the U.S. Almost a half a million Americans die from it in a year. One thing that contributes to why people smoke is the marketing of cigarettes. Cigarette direct mail marketing usually targets young smokers of lower socioeconomic status. Researchers want to find out more about how this kind of marketing influences smoking behavior in young people from different socioeconomic levels. Objectives: To study the effects of cigarette direct mail marketing on beliefs, responses, and arousal. To study how these things may differ among young adult smokers of high and low socioeconomic status. Eligibility: Volunteer adults ages 18 to 29 who smoke. Design: Participants will have 1 visit. Participants will be asked questions about their health and recent smoking. A nurse will check their vital signs. Participants will have a simple eye exam. They will give blood and urine samples. Participants will be connected to equipment. This will collect data while they look at pictures. Then they will have a 10-minute break. A nurse will observe them during the break. Participants will have their breath analyzed. Participants will answer questions. The topics will include: Education Job Income Family history Tobacco use Exposure to pro-smoking and anti-smoking messages History of drug and alcohol use

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 29 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion criteria

✓. Low SES: Young adults who do not have a four-year college degree, are not currently enrolled in a four-year college, were born in the US, and have an annual income less than $50,000. This is the group that has been shown to have the highest prevalence of smoking.
✓. High SES: Young adults who are currently enrolled in or graduated from a four year college. This is the group that has been shown to have the lowest prevalence of smoking.

What they're measuring

To collect pilot data to examine the variability in beliefs, affective responses, and arousal between young adult smokers of high and low socioeconomic status.

Timeframe: 1 Day

To conduct a randomized comparative trial to examine the effect of cigarette direct mail materials on beliefs, affective responses, arousal, and smoking behavior, and their variation by SES among young adult smokers.

Timeframe: 1 Day

Trial details

NCT IDNCT02974582

SponsorNational Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Sponsor typeNIH

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2026-03-17

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Nicotine Dependence trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 29 Years

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion criteria

✓. Low SES: Young adults who do not have a four-year college degree, are not currently enrolled in a four-year college, were born in the US, and have an annual income less than $50,000. This is the group that has been shown to have the highest prevalence of smoking.
✓. High SES: Young adults who are currently enrolled in or graduated from a four year college. This is the group that has been shown to have the lowest prevalence of smoking.

What they're measuring

To collect pilot data to examine the variability in beliefs, affective responses, and arousal between young adult smokers of high and low socioeconomic status.

Timeframe: 1 Day