Vaping Cessation among youth: Evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of a virtual in-person CBT and an app-based CBT4CBT

PROJECT ABSTRACT E-cigarettes are the most popular nicotine-delivery devices used by US adolescents. Many adolescents do not like being addicted to e-cigarettes and want to quit. However, there are no empirically validated interventions to help them quit using e-cigarettes. We have developed an adolescent-focused smartphone-app called Kick-Nic!©

that uses an engaging, multi-media rich, and interactive cognitive-behavioral therapy platform to teach coping skills for e-cigarette-specific triggers and support cessation. App content to address e-cigarette appeal, quit motivations, and coping skills, was developed using focus group evidence from 60 adolescent e-cigarette users.

The structure, format and design of the app was developed using iterative feedback from 14 adolescents. A feasibility pilot with 19 adolescents who used the app, indicated that it was engaging, easy to use, and useful to support e-cigarette quit efforts. An open label pilot is testing the use of the app with engagement methods

commonly used in digital interventions that were identified by youth as important for engagement [text message reminders & weekly in-person check-ins]; 8 high school adolescents have initiated the trial, are completing all app sessions, weekly check-ins, and assessments with 100% retention. The current proposal will:

Aim 1: Examine the efficacy of the Kick-Nic!© App: We will conduct an RCT with 306 adolescents in high schools who use e-cigarettes regularly (>/=1 day/week in the past month) and want to quit. Adolescents will be randomized to the ACTIVE (Kick-Nic!© App for eight weeks, along with text message reminders and weekly

virtual check-ins, & assessments) or the CONTROL condition (assessments alone with referrals to NCI Quit Vaping webpage). E-cigarette use will be assessed at baseline, biweekly during treatment, and end of treatment (EOT; 8 weeks), and then at 1, 2, 3 and 6 month follow ups (FU). Salivary cotinine levels