Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention for Smoking Cessation in Low-Income Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Smoking prevalence remains alarmingly high among low-income adults, who face disproportionate barriers to cessation and experience unique smoking lapse triggers.

To compare the efficacy of the Smart-T smartphone intervention, featuring tailored, just-in-time adaptive interventions, with the National Cancer Institute QuitGuide intervention in supporting smoking cessation among adults with low income.

This randomized clinical trial was conducted from August 2019 to November 2023 among US adults with household incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line. Participants were randomized to Smart-T or QuitGuide and followed-up for 27 weeks. Data were analyzed from July 2024 to March 2025.

Both groups received nicotine replacement therapy. The Smart-T intervention provided ecological momentary assessment-driven tailored feedback and prompts to use nicotine replacement therapy, while QuitGuide delivered smoking cessation content based on clinical guidelines.

The primary outcome was biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 26 weeks after quitting, and group differences were evaluated via multivariable logistic regression. Secondary outcomes included 30-day point prevalence abstinence and continuous abstinence. Outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression with intention-to-treat and complete-case approaches.

A total of 454 participants (mean [SD] age, 52.0 [11.2] years; 333 [73.3%] female; mean [SD], 17.7 [9.5] cigarettes/d) were enrolled, with 225 randomized to Smart-T and 229 randomized to QuitGuide. Biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 26 weeks was higher in the Smart-T group than in the QuitGuide group (37 participants [16.4%] vs 23 participants [10.0%] in intention-to-treat analysis; 37 of 160 participants [23.1%] vs 23 of 161 participants [14.3%] in complete-case analysis). Adjusted odds of abstinence were significantly higher for Smart-T (adjusted odds ratio, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.03-3.18). No significant differences were found for 30-day or continuous abstinence. Smart-T users interacted with the app more often and rated it as more helpful (r = 0.21; P < .001).

In this randomized clinical trial of 454 adults with low income, the Smart-T intervention led to significantly higher smoking abstinence at 26 weeks compared with QuitGuide. These findings suggest that digital health interventions tailored for low-income populations hold promise for reducing smoking-related health disparities.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03740490.