Virtual reality study has started!

Smoking tobacco is most prevalent among groups with a lower socio-economic position (SEP). High relapse rates show that smoking cessation interventions are often not sufficiently effective in the long term. Potential reasons for this limited effectiveness are that these interventions are not tailored to lower-SEP smokers and do not provide sufficient support in situations when the (re)lapse risk is high; that is, high-risk situations (HRSs). A mobile phone application using an automated conversational agent could be a useful approach to promote long-term smoking cessation, as it can be tailored to lower-SEP smokers and provide support at any time of the day (also in HRSs).

With the Perfect Fit virtual reality study, we aim to investigate whether a digital coach can provide help at times when it is difficult not to smoke (i.e., HRSs). We are also curious what kind of chat messages the digital coach can send to help people who are quitting smoking to prevent them from lapsing.

For this study, we ask daily smokers with an intention to quit smoking to come to Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Here they will be asked to wear virtual reality glasses, chat with a digital coach using a simulated smartphone and complete questionnaires. Three lapse prevention dialogs will be evaluated, and compared to a neutral dialog. The setup of the experiment is shown in the figure above.

We are currently recruiting participants for the virtual reality study. We hope to finish data collection and start data analysis at the end of 2023. The results of the study will be described in a scientific paper that will be available online.

In case you want more information or have tips for study recruitment, feel free to contact us!  perfectfit@lumc.nl