QuitBet: A Digital Social Game that Pays You to Stop Smoking

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT One of the most effective interventions for smoking cessation is contingency managementCMin which financial incentives are used to reinforce abstinenceHowevertraditionalclinic based CM is not widely available because of concerns about feasibilityacceptabilityand long term effectivenessDigital technology is now facilitating the emergence of CM formats that are likely to be more feasibleacceptableand effective at promoting long term abstinenceIn this SBIR Fast Track applicationwe are proposing to complete development and evaluate the effectiveness of a digital CM program for smoking cessationQuitBetQuitBet is modeled upon and builds upon the commercial success of DietBetour first productAll of our productswhich we call gamescombine social gaming elements with participant funded financial incentives in the form of a deposit contractOurplayersdepositwe call it theirbeta specified amount of their own money into the gameandapos spotAllwinnerswho achieve the gameandapos s goal split the pot equallysuch that their bet is fully refunded plus they receive extra money from the forfeited bets of players who did not meet the goalWe recently developed the QuitBet prototype and conducted an initial test game withplayersQuitBet players made a $depositAll players were mailed a portablesmartphone connected CO testing deviceQuitBet lasted fordayswith the official quit date on dayFrom dayaday periodplayers earned back $of their $bet per day of CO verified abstinenceAll remaining bet money was pooled into thegrand prizepotPlayers who were abstinent on at leastof thedays were declared winners and split the grand prize pot equallyDuring QuitBetplayers posted their CO test results in a private Facebook groupThey also received education about smoking cessation from a game host and interacted with other playersFifteen of theplayerswere winnersPlayer feedback was very positiveOur Phase I aim is to achieve the following milestonescomplete development of a QuitBet smartphone application and conduct a pilot trialNto demonstrateconsumer demandi efeasibilityandacceptabilityOur Phase II aim is to conduct a randomized trial of QuitBet vs QuitBet NSdeposit contract onlyno social elementsAll participantsNwill be offered a second game after their first gameup toweeks total game durationWe hypothesize thatday point prevalence abstinence rates atandmonths post quit date will be higher in QuitBet than in QuitBet NSWe will also compare QuitBet vsQuitBet NS on smoking heaviness and use of smoking cessation medication and examine potential mediators of outcomes such as motivationengagementand satisfaction PROJECT NARRATIVE In the proposed projectwe will complete development and evaluate the effectiveness of QuitBeta digital game targeting smoking cessation that consists of social gaming elements and financial incentives in the form of a self sustainingparticipant funded deposit contractIf QuitBet is demonstrated feasibleacceptableand effectiveit has the potential for important clinical and public health significance in reducing smoking related morbidity and mortality