Who can join the Actify study?
Individuals, age 18 or older, who live in the U.S., smoke at least five cigarettes per day, are interested in quitting smoking, and are willing/able to complete all study activities.
What do I have to do?
- Fill out a short online survey to determine if you are eligible to join this study.
- If you are eligible, read and sign the study consent form and fill out another online survey (takes 20-25 minutes).
- Next, you will be randomly assigned (like a toss of a coin) to receive one of two quit smoking apps.
- You will download and use the study app as much as you like.
- Fill out 2 more surveys (10-20 minutes each) after 2 and 6 months of being in the study. You will be compensated up to $35 for each completed survey.
- You may be asked complete a saliva test and carbon monoxide test after the 2- and 6-month surveys. If so, you will be compensated up to $50 after sending us both sets of results.
Actify! FAQ
- Who is conducting this study?
- Who is funding this research?
- What is your confidentiality and privacy policy?
- Your survey information will be kept strictly confidential on a secure website
- The study website is encrypted
- The study server is housed behind Fred Hutch hardware firewall
- We will not use identifiable information about you in any reports about this study, such as journal articles or presentations at scientific meetings
- This research study is covered by a Certificate of Confidentially from the U.S. government. This Certificate helps protect the confidentiality of information about people who join this study by prohibiting disclosure of identifiable, sensitive research information to anyone not connected to the research, except if the participant consents and a few other specific situations. You can learn more about this here.
- How long is this study?
- What will I get if I become a study participant?
- What is the difference between the two quit smoking study apps?
- Is this study intended to provide mental health care?
- National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- National Crisis Text: Text GO to 741741 (crisistextline.org)
- Does study staff monitor my survey responses and reach out if I need help?
- What information is tracked when I sign up for the study?
- What information do you keep about me/and or my device if I use the study app?
- What other options do I have if I do not want to take part in this study?
- Talking to your doctor
- National Cancer Institute's smoking cessation websites, apps, and text messaging programs: see www.smokefree.gov
- Your state quitline (available in all 50 states) by calling 800-QUIT-NOW
Jaimee Heffner, PhD is the Principal Investigator of this study. Dr. Heffner is an Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. You can learn more of Dr. Heffner's work here.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse is funding this research study.
Keeping your information confidential and private is very important to us. Here are steps we take to protect your information:
Enrolled individuals participate in this study for 6 months.
Study participants get access to a quit smoking smartphone app at no cost to them and will receive compensation up to $124 after completing the study activities.
Both of the programs offer a quit guide with content to help you quit, provide you with push notifications and tips for quitting, and have tools to help you manage your cravings and mood. The difference between the apps is the treatment approach, although both include content consistent with current clinical practice guidelines for smoking cessation.
This study is not intended to provide mental health care. Should you experience mental health difficulties or suicidal thoughts, please seek assistance from a healthcare provider or crisis line:
No, the responses to the survey questions are not monitored. Should you need assistance with mental health, please see a health care professional and reach out to above resources for support. If you need help completing study-related activities (e.g, technical support with downloading the app), you should contact the study coordinator using the contact information provided.
If you are eligible to participate and complete all the required questions and documents to be in the study, we will send you a text message with a link. When you click on this link, we will receive information about your smartphone device so we can send you the appropriate link to download the app. We will also record your IP address as part of our eligibility checks.
We will keep information about your device type, operating system and IP address if you enroll in this study. We will also maintain a list of your logins and openings of the app, and the parts of the app that you accessed.
You do not have to join this study. You are free to say yes or no. If you decide not to take part in this study, you can still receive treatment to help you to quit smoking. Your other choices may include:
