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ACT on Vaping: Digital Therapeutic for Young Adult Vaping Cessation

Award Number: UH3DA057032
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2027

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ACT on Vaping: Digital Therapeutic for Young Adult Vaping Cessation - Almost one in ten young adults report current e-cigarette use, putting them at risk of developing nicotine addiction and long-term health effects of exposure to inhaled toxicants. Despite the need for effective treatments to help these young users quit, very few treatments targeting any type of tobacco use among young adults have been evaluated, particularly for young adults who vape and have unique treatment needs. To address these needs, we propose to develop and evaluate an avatar-led, digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) program called ACT on Vaping for young adult e-cigarette users at all stages of readiness to quit. This program builds upon an intervention framework employed successfully in previous pilot work, with high user satisfaction and very promising rates of biochemically confirmed tobacco abstinence. In the UG3-phase of this study, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to preliminarily evaluate acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the intervention relative to a brief advice and education control condition. Go/no-go criteria for the UG3 phase include: (a) Completed app development. (b) Completed FDA Q-submission. (c) Completed pilot trial (n=60) showing satisfaction with ACT on Vaping averaging at least 3.5 out of 5; and (d) relative to control, evidence of better outcomes on at least 1 of 3 efficacy endpoints: change in readiness to quit (mean difference in Contemplation Ladder change scores ≥ 1), 24-hour quit attempts (≥ 5% difference), and cotinine-confirmed 30-day point prevalence abstinence from all nicotine/tobacco products at 3 months (≥ 5% difference). If these benchmarks are met, we will proceed to the UH3 phase—a fully-powered, randomized controlled trial (n=1178) of the two interventions, with a primary efficacy outcome of cotinine-confirmed 30-day point prevalence abstinence at 6 months post-randomization. We will also evaluate moderators and mediators of treatment effects. This project is significant: (1) it focuses on a growing population of young adults who vape, (2) e-cigarette users are at risk for developing nicotine dependence and are exposed to toxicants that negatively impact health; (3) standard care tobacco interventions don’t address the unique treatment needs of young adults who vape, (4) ACT has demonstrated better efficacy than standard care approaches for tobacco treatment, and, (5) there is high consumer demand for vaping cessation programs among young adults, as evidenced by 241,000 young adult enrollments to Truth Initiative’s This is Quitting text messaging program between January 2019 and November 2021. It is also innovative: (1) it is the first ACT-based program of any kind for young adult vaping, (2) a digital cessation program using avatars, interactive games, and other multimedia experiences as engagement strategies is substantially different than existing treatments, (3) there are no evidence-based smartphone apps targeting young adult vaping, despite a strong preference for this modality; and, (4) there are no digital programs of any type with demonstrated efficacy for young adult e-cigarette users at varying levels of readiness to quit.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $812,783 )
2026	2026	FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER	1100 FAIRVIEW AVE N	SEATTLE	WA	98109	KING	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	001	4	2/24/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$812,783
2026	2025	FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER	1100 FAIRVIEW AVE N	SEATTLE	WA	98109	KING	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	3	12/4/2025	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
														Subtotal = $812,783

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $772,015 )
2025	2025	FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER	1100 FAIRVIEW AVE N	SEATTLE	WA	98109	KING	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	3	12/12/2024	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$772,015
														Subtotal = $772,015

Grand Total All Awards = $1,584,798

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ACT on Vaping: Digital Therapeutic for Young Adult Vaping Cessation

Award Number: UH3DA057032

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2027

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