For over a decade, we’ve led the field in research on digital interventions for tobacco cessation.

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Our innovations are driven by science and an unyielding focus on helping tobacco users.

The rigor and competitiveness of our science are unmatched. We’ve received over $15 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance the science of digital approaches to tobacco cessation. We are frequently asked to share our expertise with federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the NIH.

Woman working on data being driven by science and an unyielding focus on helping tobacco users

Preventing individuals from starting to smoke or vape and helping tobacco users to quit is our mission.

For over 20 years, Truth Initiative has been transforming culture, informing federal policies, and empowering individuals to quit based on our own research in nicotine and tobacco control.

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NIH-funded studies
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Peer-reviewed
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*Including Truth Initiative’s Schroeder Institute®, a leading, trusted voice in tobacco control research

With our expertise in digital health research, we are frequently asked to contribute to many leading research universities. Our current and recent research collaborators include

Featured Research

Connecting Hospitalized Tobacco Smokers

Psychiatric Services

Persons with serious mental illness are required to be smoke-free during a hospital admission. Unfortunately, the vast majority return to smoking when they are discharged despite referral to free resources. This study adapted EX for this specific population to bridge the post-hospital treatment gap to promote continued abstinence from smoking after discharge. Findings showed EX was well received by patients in the inpatient setting and hospital staff were enthusiastic about its integration in the electronic health record (EHR). A randomized trial testing its impact on quit rates is currently underway.

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2023

Smoking plays a key role in how well people recover from surgery. This study tested two approaches to promote quitting among smokers who were getting surgery. One focused on the benefits of quitting in preparation for surgery (“quit for a bit”) and the other focused on the long-term benefits of quitting (“quit for good”). Results showed that it is feasible to engage smokers in quitting around surgery and that satisfaction was high with both approaches.

Messaging Content on Engagement With a Short Messaging Service
Tailored text message and web intervention for smoking cessation in U.S.

Preventive Medicine, 2022

The EX text message cessation program was adapted to uniquely address the needs of young adult smokers with low levels of education or income. In a randomized trial, those receiving the modified program were nearly 4 times more likely to be abstinent at 3-months and to report higher confidence to quit.

Patient Education and Counseling, 2021

This qualitative study found live chat coaching with our EX Coaches effectively delivers motivational interviewing skills and evidence-based behavior change techniques to help tobacco users quit.

Truth Initiative study found that smoking cessation live chat can broaden the reach of tobacco treatment specialists to deploy evidence-based counseling skills and behavior change techniques.
Vaping in the Workplace-Prevalence and Attitudes Among Employed US Adults

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2021

Workplace vaping and vaping exposure are surprisingly common in U.S. workplaces, and vary by industry. Employees – especially those who do not vape – hold generally negative perceptions of workplace vaping, and believe that vaping at work decreases productivity.

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020

Workplace vaping is a trigger for smoking and vaping among current and former tobacco users. Despite strong support for and interest in vaping cessation programs among employees, a minority of employers provide such programs.

Vaping in the Workplace-Implications for Employer-Sponsored Tobacco Cessation Programs
Human Resources Today