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| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| R01MD018728 | U.S. NIH Grant/Contract | View source |
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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) | NIH |
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Our study tests a multi-level anti- disinformation message (ADM) campaign on menthol cigarette and flavored cigar policies in Black adults.
This study uses a prospective, randomized factorial trial design to evaluate delivery of anti-disinformation messaging (ADM) on Black adults' receptivity to flavored tobacco policies, beliefs about the tobacco industry, and beliefs about menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Eligible, consenting participants will complete the baseline survey, providing sociodemographic information and baseline measures of study outcomes. Participants will then be randomized, stratified by study site (Atlanta, GA or Birmingham, AL), in a 1:1 ratio within the survey platform to either the individually-delivered ADM intervention or control condition. Participants in the intervention condition (Intervention-I) will receive their first exposure to the ADM intervention at the end of baseline survey. At follow-up assessments (3-months, 6-months, 9-months, 12-months), all participants will complete study measures and at 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-up assessments, Intervention-I participants will be exposed to the ADM intervention at the end of the survey. Six months after our first enrollment in the trial, Atlanta will receive the community-delivered ADM intervention, while Birmingham serves as the control community. Community partners in Atlanta, our Intervention Community (Intervention-C), will disseminate our ADM intervention messages through their community networks for 12 months, overlapping at least six months with the delivery of the individual-level intervention (Intervention-I) in our enrolled participants. Upon completion of the final assessment (12-month follow-up), all participants will be exposed to the ADM intervention within the survey platform and asked to complete measures on perceived message effectiveness and credibility of the study messages.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual-level intervention + Community-level intervention | Experimental |
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| Individual-level control + Community-level intervention | Experimental |
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| Individual-level intervention + Community-level control | Experimental |
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| Individual-level control + Community-level control | No Intervention |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual delivery of anti-disinformation messaging | Behavioral | Participants in this condition will be exposed to anti-disinformation messages (ADM) designed to increase correct beliefs about menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, the purpose, and limits of flavored tobacco policies. The delayed intervention control condition in this study will receive the ADM intervention after outcome measures are collected at the last assessment. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of participants with specific tobacco industry beliefs | Beliefs items address tobacco industry behaviors, including funding Black community organizations, paying Black lobbyists to oppose public health policies, and targeting Black and African American communities with menthol cigarette and flavored cigar marketing. | 3, 6, 9, 12 months |
| Knowledge about menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars | Items address prevalence of menthol cigarette and flavored cigar use in Black and African Americans and role of menthol/flavors in tobacco initiation, progression, and cessation. | 3, 6, 9, 12 months |
| Knowledge of flavored tobacco policies | Items address the public health purpose and limits of flavored tobacco policies. | 3, 6, 9, 12 months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Intention to support flavored tobacco policies | Items address plans to support local, state, and federal policies regarding flavored tobacco products. | 3, 6, 9, 12 months |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
-
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Coordinator | Contact | 732-331-0626 | unvarnished@ints.rutgers.edu |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Andrea C Villanti, PhD, MPH | Rutgers University | Principal Investigator |
| Kymberle L Sterling, DrPH | Rutgers University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University | New Brunswick | New Jersey | 08901 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40633013 | Background | Ganz O, Villanti AC, Altunbilek A, Johnson A, Garmon J, Wackowski OA, Sterling KL. Tobacco Company Efforts to Persuade Consumers to Fight the Proposed Federal Menthol Cigarette and Flavored Cigar Bans in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2025 Aug;115(8):1206-1210. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308116. No abstract available. | |
| 41705314 | Background | Wackowski OA, Garmon J, Altunbilek A, Johnson A, Ganz O, Ntansah CA, Fryer CS, Villanti AC, Sterling KL. News Coverage of the Proposed Menthol Cigarette Ban in the United States (2022-2024) - a Content Analysis. Nicotine Tob Res. 2026 Feb 18:ntag036. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntag036. Online ahead of print. |
| Label | URL |
|---|---|
| The Disinformation Project Website | View source |
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Deidentified survey responses from participants enrolled in the clinical trial.
IPD and supporting information will be available approximately 12 months following the end of data collection or publication of the main study outcomes.
Study data will be deposited in the NAHDAP data repository hosted at the ICPSR and will be available to the research community in perpetuity. Datasets underlying methodological publications will be shared at or prior to initial publication date.
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| Community delivery of anti-disinformation messaging | Behavioral | Our community-level campaign will distribute our ADM messages to our Intervention Community via social media, print ads and posters, radio ads, and community events. These messages will be delivered over 1 year, with monthly delivery activities led by EAB members in the Intervention Community. |
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| 39561998 | Background | Garmon J, Sterling K, Wackowski OA, Ganz O, Allem JP, Villanti AC. Funding without transparency? Tobacco company support of Black-owned businesses in the USA. Tob Control. 2024 Nov 19:tc-2024-058721. doi: 10.1136/tc-2024-058721. Online ahead of print. No abstract available. |
| 38692654 | Background | Sterling KL, Ganz O, Wackowski OA, Glasser AM, Villanti AC. Widespread Misperceptions Among U.S. Adults About Tobacco Company Engagement in Black and African American Communities. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Mar 24;27(4):741-747. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntae066. |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000087862 | Disinformation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D008192 | Deception |
| D012919 | Social Behavior |
| D001519 | Behavior |
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