Correcting Disinformation About Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Individual delivery of anti-disinformation messaging, Community delivery of anti-disinformation messaging.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Disinformation, Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
The Unvarnished Truth: Pursuing Health Equity by Correcting Disinformation Targeting African Americans About the FDA's Proposed Ban on Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars
Overview
Our study tests a multi-level anti- disinformation message (ADM) campaign on menthol cigarette and flavored cigar policies in Black adults.
Detailed description
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.
Interventions
- Behavioral Individual delivery of anti-disinformation messaging
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. - Behavioral Community delivery of anti-disinformation messaging
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.
Primary outcome measures
- Proportion of participants with specific tobacco industry beliefs [Time frame: 3, 6, 9, 12 months]
- Knowledge about menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars [Time frame: 3, 6, 9, 12 months]
- Knowledge of flavored tobacco policies [Time frame: 3, 6, 9, 12 months]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Intention to support flavored tobacco policies [Time frame: 3, 6, 9, 12 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- African American or Black adults
- Aged 18+
- Reside in Atlanta, GA or Birmingham, AL
- Able to read and speak English
- Willing to engage in all online study activities including online quarterly surveys over a 12-month period.
Exclusion criteria
\-
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Rutgers University — New Brunswick
Publications
- 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. PMID 40633013
- 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. PMID 41705314
- 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. PMID 39561998
- 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. PMID 38692654
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07543081 · Pro2023001258 · R01MD018728