Project Status:

Active

Description:

Dr. Murphy’s research project, a fully-remote randomized controlled trial, will assess the effects of electronic cigarettes (EC), nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and a no-product control (CON) on smoking behaviors and health in individuals who smoke and have obesity (SWO). This study will aim to compare the effects of EC, NRT, and CON on smoking behaviors (e.g., cigarette consumption, exhaled carbon monoxide levels, and quit attempts) as well as various health indicators, including weight, central adiposity, glucose regulation, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and blood pressure. It will also evaluate the acceptability and adherence to EC and NRT. Sixty participants will be randomized to receive EC, NRT, or no product for 8 weeks. Assessments will then be conducted at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3-month follow-ups. This study will be the first of its kind to explore the effects of EC and NRT on smoking and health among SWO, providing crucial insights into the potential for forms of harm reduction among SWO. Dr. Murphy and her team hypothesize that participants using electronic cigarettes (EC) or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) will show greater reductions in cigarettes per day (CPD), carbon monoxide (CO) levels, and more quit attempts compared to the control group, with EC expected to have a larger effect than NRT. Additionally, EC users are anticipated to report higher acceptability and adherence, and both EC and NRT groups are expected to see greater improvements in health markers such as glucose regulation and blood pressure, with EC potentially leading to less weight gain and central adiposity.

Mentors:

Jennifer Tidey, MS, Ph.D., Brown University
Rena Wing, Ph.D., Brown University

Collaborators & Consultants:

Matthew Carpenter, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina
Bonnie Spring, Ph.D., ABPP, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine

Research Team: 

Katie Good, Senior Research Assistant