Text message program from Truth Initiative helps teens quit e-cigarettes

Teens enrolled in Truth Initiative’s text message-based quit-vaping program were 35% more likely to quit vaping nicotine within seven months compared to those not enrolled in the program, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, which surveyed 1,503 e-cigarette users ages 13-17, also found the program is effective for teens with high levels of nicotine dependence and mental health concerns.

The research represents the first randomized clinical trial to evaluate a quit-vaping program in this age group. It found that 37.8% of teens enrolled in the interactive program reported abstaining from vaping nicotine at the seven-month mark compared to 28% in the control group, a statistically significant difference. Quit rates among teens exceeded those of a similar clinical trial conducted among users ages 18-24 enrolled in the program and were significantly higher than abstinence rates in most teen quit smoking trials.

The quit-vaping program from Truth Initiative and its national truth public education campaign is a first-of-its-kind, free and anonymous text messaging program designed to help young people quit vaping nicotine. The program incorporates messages from other teens who have attempted to or successfully quit e-cigarettes. The text message intervention tested in this study is called This is Quitting, now part of the EX Program from Truth Initiative. Since This is Quitting launched as a text message program in 2019, over 750,000 young people have enrolled in the program.

Teens and young adults can text DITCHVAPE to 88709 to receive free quit vaping support from the program.

By texting DITCHVAPE to 88709, you consent to recurring messages from Truth Initiative to help you quit vaping, and agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Text STOP to opt-out. Text HELP for info. Msg & Data Rates May Apply. 

Effectiveness among highly addicted e-cigarette users

All participants of the clinical trial, which took place between October 2021 and October 2023, received incentivized monthly text messages about e-cigarette use to encourage them to complete the study. The intervention group was also enrolled in the program, while control participants did not receive additional support. As a double-blind study, researchers randomly assigned participants to groups and participants did not know which intervention they were receiving.

The study found that This is Quitting was effective among teens with high levels of nicotine dependence and mental health issues. Most teens in the study were highly addicted to nicotine. More than three-quarters (76.2%) used e-cigarettes within 30 minutes of waking – a common way to measure addiction – and 93.6% reported feeling somewhat or very addicted to vaping nicotine. Most (87.3%) had tried to quit in the past year, and more than half (53.4%) had previously made three or more quit attempts. Teens also shared problems with depression, sleep, anxiety, trauma, and substance use, as well as high rates of using multiple substances.

“The significant treatment effect observed in this study against this backdrop of risk factors underscores the power of a digital behavior change intervention to drive clinically meaningful outcomes,” the researchers write.

Young people want to quit, citing concerns about mental health

E-cigarettes are the most popular nicotine product with young people today. In 2023, 10% of high school students used e-cigarettes with more than one in four vaping daily, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey. Interest in quitting vaping also remains high: 67% of 15- to 24-year-old e-cigarette users said they were considering quitting as a New Year’s resolution, according to a December 2023 Truth Initiative survey. A separate study that analyzed reasons for quitting among young people enrolled in the program found that health, mental health, and social influence were among the top reasons for quitting vaping nicotine.

Studies show that mental health symptoms improve after quitting nicotine. Quitting smoking is linked with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, according to a 2014 meta-analysis of 26 studies published in the British Medical Journal. And while evidence of a link between quitting vaping and improvements in mental health symptoms is emerging, Truth Initiative survey data show support for this connection: 90% of e-cigarette users who quit said they felt less stressed, anxious, or depressed.

Mounting evidence to support tailored, interactive text message interventions for quitting vaping

This study builds on previous research demonstrating the effectiveness of This is Quitting in young people. A previous randomized clinical trial found that young adults ages 18-24 who used This is Quitting had nearly 40% higher odds of quitting compared to a control group. A second clinical trial proved the program was not only successful in helping young people quit vaping, but also in ensuring they don’t later use combustible tobacco products in place of e-cigarettes.

Combined with the results of the most recent study, this research indicates that a tailored, interactive text message intervention can effectively deliver vaping cessation treatment and encourage youth and young adults to quit vaping.

“Text messaging is a scalable and cost-efficient approach to delivering vaping cessation treatment on a population basis,” researchers write. “These results begin to fill an important gap in understanding how to help adolescent e-cigarette users quit vaping nicotine.”