Current CSTP Studies
The Center for the Study of Tobacco Products includes a variety of ongoing studies (see below). For all in-person laboratory studies, we are taking a variety of precautions to keep you safe from COVID-19. Staff members all wear masks at all times, as well as face shields, gowns, and gloves when needed. Our laboratory rooms have special ventilation systems and we limit the time that staff interact with participants face-to-face. We also require all participants to wear masks, and we screen all participants for COVID-19 exposure (by self-report) and take temperatures at each visit.
For Cigarette Smokers and/or E-cigarette Users
Purpose:The purpose of this research study is to find out how different electronic cigarette liquid characteristics, such as nicotine and sweeteners, affect the vaping experience (how you feel), blood nicotine levels, use behavior (how you puff), willingness to work for puffs (keyboard button presses), and hypothetically pay for the product.
Study Details: If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will ask you to participate in 5 sessions, which last approximately 3.5 hours. Before each visit, we will ask you to abstain from all tobacco products for at least 12 hours. During the session we will ask you to use either an electronic cigarette or a cigarette of your preferred brand that we provide. You will be given another opportunity to earn additional puffs of the session’s product through a computerized task. During each session, we will also monitor your heart rate and blood pressure and ask you to respond to several questionnaires to measure how you feel and how much you would be willing to pay.
Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and the consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Payment: You will be paid $30 for completing the initial screening visit. You will be paid for the time that you are not using tobacco prior to session and for your time in the laboratory: you will receive $80 after the first session, $100 after the second, third and fourth session, and $150 after the fifth session. In all, you can earn $560 for completing this study. All payments will be in cash.
Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to find out how different types of electronic cigarette/vape e-liquids of differing nicotine concentrations affect blood nicotine levels, use behavior (how you puff), and how you feel.
Study Details: In this study, you will be asked to do the following things:
1. Visit the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products 4 times for approximately 3-hour study visits.
2. Before each visit, abstain from all tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, cigars, and hookah/waterpipe) for at least 12 hours.
3. We will take a blood pressure reading (with blood pressure cuff on your arm) and monitor your heart rate (with a device that attaches to your finger). A nurse will insert an IV catheter into your arm that will stay there for the entire session. This catheter will be used to draw blood periodically (less than 1 tablespoon per sample, 5 samples).
4. During each session, we will ask you to respond to several questionnaires to measure how you feel before and after you use an e-cigarette.
5. In each session, you will receive an e-cigarette loaded with e-liquid that contains nicotine. During the session we will ask you to use the electronic cigarette we provide at two separate times. After you have used the e-cigarette two times, we will offer you the opportunity to use your own brand of cigarettes.
6. Three months following your final session at the laboratory, we will call, email, or text you to complete a short follow-up survey. This survey will include questions about your recent cigarette and e-cigarette use.
Confidentiality: How will inforamtion about me be protected? VCU has established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information may be kept in these databases but are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research related tasks.
Payment: You will be paid $15 for completing the initial screening visit. You will be paid for the time that you are not using tobacco prior to session and for your time in the laboratory: you will receive $75 after the first session, $100 after the second, $150 after the third, and $200 after the fourth session. For the follow-up survey, you will receive $10. In all, you can earn $550 for completing this study. All in-person visits (screening and sessions) will be paid in cash. Compensation for the follow-up survey will be paid via emailed or texted Amazon gift card.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to better understand how e-cigarette nicotine flux impacts several behavioral economic measures of abuse liability.
Study Details: If you meet eligibility criteria, we will ask you to participate in five sessions, the first four sessions will last about 3.5 hours and the final session will last about 3 hours. We will also ask for you to complete a follow-up survey 3 months after your final in-lab session. All in-lab sessions will happen here at the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products located on VCU’s campus. Before each session, we will ask you to abstain from all tobacco and nicotine containing products for at least 12 hours. We will also ask you to abstain from caffeinated beverages for 1 hour before each session.
In each session you will have an opportunity to complete two types of behavioral tasks focused on either an e-cigarette or your own brand cigarette. One set of tasks will ask you to work to earn puffs of the session product or either the session product or your own brand cigarette. The other task will ask you to estimate how many times you would like to use puffs of the session product or the session product and your own brand cigarettes.
Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and the consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Payment: If asked to complete an in-person screening you can earn $10. However, if you are eligible and you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete a behavioral task where you can earn up to $40 at the in-person screening. You will receive $75 after the first session, $100 after the second, third and fourth sessions, and $125 after the fifth session. You will receive $10 for the follow-up survey. In all, you can earn $560 for completing this study.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how tobacco product flavor regulations such as a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars could impact future tobacco use behavior among Black/African American menthol cigarette smokers. This study is also interested in how the information we present about a proposed tobacco flavor regulation (i.e., “framing”) affects responding.
Study Details: Interested individuals will be asked to visit a study-specific webpage to view detailed information about the study. If you agree to participate, we will ask you to complete screening questions make sure the study is right for you. If you are eligible, you then will be prompted to complete the full study survey which should take less than 30 minutes. After finishing the survey, you have the option to participate in a short semi-structured interview about your overall reactions to the study. These optional interviews will occur in-person or via phone (your preference) within 1 month following online survey completion. All participants will receive tobacco/prevention resources via email or mail (your preference).
Confidentiality: VCU and the VCU Health System have established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information will be kept in these databases and are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research-related tasks.
Payment: All payments from this study are sent via email using an Amazon.com gift card (worth the US Dollar $ amount indicated for each activity described below). Completion of the online screening questions is worth $5. If you choose to complete the screening questions, you will be paid $5 regardless of whether you are deemed eligible or not. Completion of the additional full study survey questions is worth $35. Thus, eligible individuals receive $40 in total for completing the online survey portion of the study. Completion of the optional semi-structured interview portion of the study is worth an additional $40.
For E-cigarette Users
Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to find out about ethanol-containing e-cigarettes’ impact on ethanol breath tests, field sobriety tests, or other tests of sobriety. Ethanol is a common part of e-cigarette liquids.
Study Details: In this study, you will be asked to do the following things (note that this is not a complete list):
1. At the in-person screening visit, we will ask you to provide a urine sample that we will test for drugs and for pregnancy.
2. Visit the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products 4 times for approximately 3-hour study visits, which must be separated by at least 48 hours.
3. In each session, you will receive an e-cigarette loaded with e-liquid that contains either no ethanol or some ethanol (neither will contain any nicotine).
4. During each session, we will monitor the ethanol levels in your body several times with two simple tests in which we will ask you to blow through a tube. These ethanol breath tests will be conducted by an off-duty, plain-clothed Richmond Police Department (RPD) or VCU police officer. These police officers will conduct these breath tests because they have specific training on how to administer the tests correctly. These police officers are not acting on behalf of VCU or RPD.
5. During each session, an off-duty, plain-clothed RPD or VCU police officer will administer a standard field sobriety test.
6. During each session, an off-duty, plain-clothed RPD or VCU police officer will administer a horizontal and vertical gaze nystagmus test using a device that records video of your eyes and all audio during recording.
Confidentiality: How will information about me be protected? VCU and the VCU Health System have established secure research databases and computer systems to store information and to help with monitoring and oversight of research. Your information may be kept in these databases but are only accessible to individuals working on this study or authorized individuals who have access for specific research related tasks.
Payment: You will receive $15 after completing the screening visit, $50 after completing the first session, $65 after completing the second session, $85 after the third session and $100 after completing the fourth session. Thus, the total amount you could earn for the entire study is $315.
Purpose: This study aims to better understand how people use e-cigarettes, which are also known as vaping devices.
Study Details: If you meet eligibility criteria, we will ask you to participate in one, approximately 1 hour long visit yearly for three years or less (depending on when you enroll in the study), along with online surveys every three months for three years or less which take approximately 15 minutes to complete. You may be asked to start the study with a lab visit or a survey.
In each yearly visit you will be asked to use your e-cigarette and e-liquid as you normally would, and respond to a questionnaire that will focus on e-cigarette and cigarette use, attitudes, purchase behaviors, addiction, and respiratory health. You will also be asked to bring your e-cigarette or vaping device and e-liquid container to the lab to be photographed by study staff.
For each online survey, every 3 months you will be asked to answer questions on e-cigarette and cigarette use, attitudes, purchase behaviors, addiction, and respiratory health, and also take pictures of your vaping device and e-liquid and upload them.
Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and the consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Payment: You will be paid $75 (for full completion) or $35 (for partial completion) in cash for each laboratory visit, and in between each laboratory visit, $10 (as an Amazon gift code) for each time you complete an online survey (once every 3 months). If you complete all three yearly lab visits, and all online surveys over three years, you can earn a total of $315. You will not be paid for study visits that you do not attend or online surveys you do not complete. You will not be paid for online follow-up surveys if your screening questions indicate that you are no longer eligible. Please note that the total amount you can earn will depend on when you join the study. For example, if you join in the first year that we are recruiting, you can receive a total of $315 over three years. If you join in the second year that we are recruiting, the total amount that you can earn will be $210 over 2 years. If you join in the third year that we are recruiting, the total amount that you can earn will be $105 over 1 year. If we find that you are not eligible upon arriving at the laboratory, you will receive $10 in cash. There is free street parking.
Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to examine whether vaping nicotine containing e- cigarettes prior to eating a meal changes eating behavior and to further evaluate the role/use of e-cigarettes as a weight control strategy.
Study Details: If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will ask you to participate in a total of 2 sessions each of which last about 3 hours. Prior to each session, you will be asked to abstain from use of all nicotine/tobacco products and eating and drinking (other than water) for 12 hours. During one session you will be asked to vape for 20 puffs over 20 minutes from a JUUL containing nicotine. During the other session, you will sit in a room with an uncharged JUUL loaded with an empty pod for 20 minutes. After the 20-minute activity (vaping or control condition) you will have the opportunity to eat a buffet style meal. At several times during each session we will ask you to complete self-report questionnaires about how you feel.
Confidentiality: We will not tell anyone the answers you give us; however, information from the study and consent form signed by you may be looked at or copied for research or legal purposes by the sponsor of the research, or by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Payment: You will be paid $15/hr for completing the initial screening visit. For the study sessions, you will be paid $75 for completion of the first session and $100 for session 2 for a total of $175. All payments will be in cash.