Financial incentive interventions for smoking cessation among Chinese smokers: study protocol for a cluster...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Health Economics

Background:

• Tobacco use poses a significant public health burden, especially in middle-income countries with limited cessation services.
• Financial incentives are a promising strategy for behavior modification, but their effectiveness in smoking cessation needs further evaluation.
• High demand for quitting smoking necessitates exploring innovative and accessible interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives (rewards and deposits) in increasing smoking cessation rates.
• To assess the portability and wider implementation potential of financial incentive-based smoking cessation programs.
• To compare the efficacy of two distinct financial incentive structures against a control group receiving standard support.

Main Methods:

• A three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial involving 462 participants.
• Intervention arms received text message support plus either rewards (CNY200-400) or deposit-refunds (CNY200-600) for verified smoking abstinence at 1 and 3 months.
• The primary outcome was biochemically verified smoking abstinence sustained for 6 months post-enrollment.

Main Results:

• Results are pending dissemination through peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
• The study design allows for robust statistical analysis of smoking cessation rates.
• Biochemical verification ensures the accuracy of reported smoking abstinence.

Conclusions:

• Financial incentives show potential as effective tools for smoking cessation interventions.
• The findings will inform the development of scalable and cost-effective smoking cessation programs.
• This research contributes valuable data on behavior change strategies in public health initiatives.