Does the clock matter? scientists randomize when Quit-Smoking chatbots ping you
NCT ID NCT07826884
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong are studying whether the timing of weekly chatbot reminders changes how people engage with a digital smoking cessation service. About 350 Cantonese-speaking adults who used tobacco in the past 30 days will receive routine chatbot support for 12 weeks through WhatsApp. Each week, the system randomly assigns when the reminder is sent, varying by day type and time of day. The team then checks system records to see whether participants reply and how quickly they re-engage.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a chatbot smoking cessation service with randomly timed weekly reminders
- What this could lead to
- If timing matters, this could help designers build digital quit-smoking tools that keep people engaged long enough to benefit.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small behavioral study of engagement, not quit rates. Better engagement with a chatbot may not translate into more people actually quitting smoking.
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
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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
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About 350 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Able to communicate in Chinese (Cantonese) * Have access to or are willing to use WhatsApp to access the chatbot cessation service * Used any tobacco in the past 30 days (including all types of tobacco products such as cigarette, shisha, electronic cigarettes, and heat-not-burn (HNB)) Exclusion Criteria: * Have communication difficulties (either physical or cognitive) that prevent completion of the counselling and assessments * Having queries irrelevant to tobacco control
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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