BACKGROUND: Little is known about the use of text messages to promote enrollment in smoking cessation treatment.
RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the impact of the number of outreach messages and monetary incentives on enrollment in smoking cessation treatment among Latino adults?
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This pragmatic randomized clinical trial used a 3 × 2 factorial design. The first factor, monetary incentives, comprised 3 conditions: (1) receiving a small fixed amount ($5.00) when enrolling, (2) receiving a chance to win a large amount ($200.00) when enrolling, and (3) no monetary incentive when enrolling. The second factor, number of cycles, comprised 2 conditions: (1) 1 cycle of messages and (2) 4 cycles of messages. Latino adults who smoke (n = 2,826) were identified in electronic medical records. Participants were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive 1 of 3 monetary incentive conditions and in a 1:2 ratio to receive 1 or 4 cycles of messages. The main outcome was enrollment in a smoking cessation text messaging intervention.
RESULTS: Enrollment rates ranged from 1.3% for the group that received no monetary incentive for enrollment and 1 cycle of messages to 5.4% for the group that received a fixed amount for enrollment and 4 cycles of messages. Receiving 4 cycles of messages was associated with a higher likelihood of enrollment compared with receiving 1 cycle of messages (OR, 1.92 [95% CI, 1.22-3.01]; P < .01). Monetary incentives were not associated with enrollment.
INTERPRETATION: Among Latino adults, enrollment in smoking cessation treatment increased significantly with an increasing number of cycles. In contrast, monetary incentives did not increase enrollment. Although modest, the 5.3% enrollment rate found among participants who received 4 cycles of messages and no monetary incentive can inform future population-level efforts to advance smoking cessation among Latino adults.
Evaluating text messaging approaches to promote enrollment in smoking cessation treatment among Latino adults: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial
Chest, 169 (6), 1732-1739. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2025.11.054. PMCID: PMC13160634.