Project COMBAT: Combating Tobacco Use in the United States Army

Researchers in the M. D. Anderson Department of Behavioral Science are developing a new
video game program for young U.S. Army service members. The game addresses stopping and
preventing the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Soldiers (ages 18-35 years)
stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, who are not scheduled to be mobilized for a 13-month period,
will be invited to take part in the study.

The Study Groups:

If you choose to take part in this study, you will be assigned to a type of study
intervention. The personnel companies on-base have been randomly assigned (as in the flip of
a coin) to offer participating service members 1 of the following 2 programs: either the
educational video game (called the "intervention"), or pamphlets on stopping tobacco use
(called "standard care"). Each company will receive only 1 of the 2 programs, and all
participating service members in the same company will receive the same program. Each
company has an equal chance of being assigned to either program.

Intervention:

Participants in the intervention group will have a month to use the educational anti-tobacco
video game located in areas that will provide convenient access. The game will be made
available using an arcade-type kiosk which houses the computer game. After playing the video
game on the kiosk for three 30-minute sessions, you will then be given a CD-ROM disc of the
game to use as needed. After finishing these three 30-minute computer sessions, you will
also receive a series of printed materials that go along with the computer sessions.

Standard Care:

The standard care participants will receive a self-help pamphlet about stopping and avoiding
tobacco use, provided by the National Institutes of Health.

Both Intervention and Standard Care Groups:

No matter which group your company is assigned to, if you choose to take part, you will be
asked to complete surveys by computer at 4 points throughout the study. The survey will
include questions about tobacco use, such as how much tobacco you use, how many times you
have tried to quit, how ready you are to quit, how dependent you are on nicotine, any
withdrawal and breathing symptoms you experience, your level of alcohol use, and support
from family and friends. Each survey should take about 30 minutes to complete.

The first surveys will take place at the start of study participation. The intervention
group will complete the second survey right after finishing the program. The standard care
group will complete this second survey at about the same time as the intervention group.
Both groups will also complete the third and fourth surveys at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

You will be asked to provide saliva samples at the 12-month follow-up visit. Researchers
will use these saliva samples to measure the level of cotinine, a chemical in your saliva
that is related to tobacco use. You will be asked to spit into a clean plastic container. A
dipstick will be placed in the container for at least 30 minutes. After reading the dipstick
and recording the result, the study staff will throw away the saliva sample right away.

You will also be told about the nicotine replacement therapy and other tobacco cessation
services available at no cost through the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC)
Tobacco Cessation Program at Fort Hood. M. D. Anderson is collaborating with the CRDAMC
Tobacco Cessation Program on this study.

This is an investigational study. Up to 2050 soldiers will be asked to take part in this
study.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Active duty service members, age 18 or above, who have entered the Army stationed at
Joint Base San Antonio

2. Does not have to be a current smoker or user of alternative tobacco products

3. Must provide contact information including: an address, telephone number, and an
email address

4. Willing to answer two questions regarding status of smoking and smokeless tobacco use
on study survey

5. Have access to the Internet

6. Speak, read and write in English at a sixth-grade literacy level

Exclusion Criteria: