N/A
N=3,083
High Impact E-cigarette Advertisement Features
Vaping Behavior
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06704295 ↗Enrolled (actual)
3,083
Serious AEs
—
Results posted
Mar 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Intentions of Using the E-cigarette — 5.27; 5.56; 5.52; 5.70 score on a scale
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Control ad with dark gray product with tobacco flavor name (Behavioral); Dark gray product with strawberry flavor name (Behavioral); Colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name (Behavioral); Colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name and image (Behavioral); Colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor features (Behavioral); Colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor features and choice claim (Behavioral)
- Age
- Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Primary completion
- Feb 2025
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Intentions of Using the E-cigarette |
5.27; 5.56; 5.52; 5.70; 5.74; 5.69 | — |
| PRIMARY Intentions of Switching Completely to the E-cigarette |
5.98; 6.18; 6.46; 6.57; 6.88; 6.53 | — |
| SECONDARY Intentions of Using the E-cigarette Compared to Cigarettes |
5.29; 5.53; 5.46; 5.67; 5.74; 5.76 | — |
| SECONDARY Intentions of Using the E-cigarette Compared to Other E-cigarettes |
5.07; 5.29; 5.32; 5.57; 5.62; 5.68 | — |
| SECONDARY Ad Appeal |
5.36; 5.47; 5.45; 5.82; 5.91; 5.81 | — |
| SECONDARY Perceived Absolute Harm of Using the E-cigarette |
7.00; 7.08; 6.98; 7.14; 7.08; 6.97 | — |
| SECONDARY Perceived Absolute Addictiveness of Using the E-cigarette |
6.60; 6.87; 6.64; 6.89; 6.93; 7.02 | — |
Summary
This randomized controlled trial aims to examine the effects of high-impact e-cigarette advertisement features among young adults of various tobacco-use statuses. Previous research on examining the effects of e-cigarette advertisement features found that flavor-related features (e.g., flavor-associated product color, name and image, flavor sensation descriptor, and flavor choice claim) may have the largest impact on shaping young adults' perceptions and use intentions of e-cigarettes. No research so far has solely focused on examining the effects of those high-impact flavor-related advertisement features. The present study assessed the effects of high-impact flavor-related advertisement features, including flavor descriptor name, e-cigarette product color (which indicates flavors), flavor-related image, flavor sensation descriptor, and flavor choice claim on perceptions and behavioral intentions among a large online sample of young adults aged 18-30 who either smoke cigarettes or do not use tobacco products. The study is a six-group RCT with parallel assignments that will be delivered through an online self-administered questionnaire consisting of one session. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of six trial arms: 1) dark gray product with tobacco flavor name, 2) dark gray product with strawberry flavor name, 3) colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name, 4) colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name and strawberry image, 5) colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name, strawberry image, strawberry flavor sensation descriptor, and 6) colorful (strawberry color) product with strawberry flavor name, strawberry image, strawberry flavor sensation descriptor, and flavor choice claim. Participants will be exposed to one advertisement corresponding to the assigned condition, and answer survey questions immediately after message exposure.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Three groups of young adult subjects will be included in the study. The first group is those who are exclusive cigarette smokers (n=1000), defined as those who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and have smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days but have not used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. The second group is those who are dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (n=1000). Those in this group have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and have smoked a cigarette and also used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. The third group is those who are non-tobacco users (n=1000), defined as those who have never used any tobacco product before or have never "regularly" used tobacco products before and are currently not using any tobacco products (in the past 30 days).
Exclusion Criteria
- Any subjects not meeting the inclusion criteria will be excluded from the study. Individuals will be further excluded if they do not provide consent to participate in the study.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06704295). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.