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Cash for quitters: homeless smokers get paid to stay smoke-free

NCT ID NCT04445662

Disease control Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether offering financial rewards for staying smoke-free helps homeless smokers quit. 184 participants received varenicline (Chantix) and coaching, with some also getting escalating cash rewards for passing saliva tests. The goal was to see if incentives boost abstinence at 12 and 24 weeks.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
varenicline (Chantix) and financial incentives
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that adding financial rewards to standard smoking cessation treatments helps homeless smokers quit more effectively.
What could go wrong
This is a completed trial with 184 participants, so results are limited in size. Financial incentives may not lead to long-term abstinence, and varenicline can cause side effects like nausea or sleep disturbances.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

184 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2021

Finished

Oct 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18 years old * Lifetime smoker of ≥100 cigarettes with current daily smoking of ≥5 cigarettes per day, verified by a saliva cotinine level of ≥30 ng/mL * Ready to try quitting smoking within the next 3 months * Proficient in English * Currently or formerly homeless * Have a primary care provider within BHCHP system Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to provide informed consent * History of allergic reaction to varenicline * Currently pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding * Past-month suicidal ideation with plan or intent, or past 12-month history of suicidal behaviors or attempts * Psychiatric hospitalization in the past 3 months

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Smoking Cessation Tobacco Smoking

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Tobacco smoking

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States

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