The rigor and competitiveness of our science are unmatched. We’ve received over $15 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance the science of digital approaches to tobacco cessation. We are frequently asked to share our expertise with federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the NIH.
For over 20 years, Truth Initiative has been transforming culture, informing federal policies, and empowering individuals to quit based on our own research in nicotine and tobacco control.
*Including Truth Initiative’s Schroeder Institute®, a leading, trusted voice in tobacco control research
Psychiatric Services, 2023
Persons with serious mental illness are required to be smoke-free during a hospital admission. Unfortunately, the vast majority return to smoking when they are discharged despite referral to free resources. This study adapted EX for this specific population to bridge the post-hospital treatment gap to promote continued abstinence from smoking after discharge. Findings showed EX was well received by patients in the inpatient setting and hospital staff were enthusiastic about its integration in the electronic health record (EHR). A randomized trial testing its impact on quit rates is currently underway.
JAMA, 2024
E-cigarettes are the top tobacco product among teens. This study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that Truth Initiative’s interactive text message program for quitting vaping boosted quit rates by 35% in 13-17-year-olds, reducing both vaping and smoking. This study is the first published randomized clinical trial of a quit vaping program among teens, filling an important gap in the scientific literature.
Preventive Medicine, 2022
The EX text message cessation program was adapted to uniquely address the needs of young adult smokers with low levels of education or income. In a randomized trial, those receiving the modified program were nearly 4 times more likely to be abstinent at 3-months and to report higher confidence to quit.
Patient Education and Counseling, 2021
This qualitative study found live chat coaching with our EX Coaches effectively delivers motivational interviewing skills and evidence-based behavior change techniques to help tobacco users quit.
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2022
A randomized trial among persons with HIV (PWH) who smoke showed that a novel web-based cessation program yielded higher cigarette quit rates compared to a control program (14.9% vs. 8.8%). This digital approach has broad reach and scalability, can be easily integrated into comprehensive HIV care, and represents an advance in the fight against tobacco use among PWH.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020
Workplace vaping is a trigger for smoking and vaping among current and former tobacco users. Despite strong support for and interest in vaping cessation programs among employees, a minority of employers provide such programs.
