Ubhi, HK;
Michie, S;
Kotz, D;
Wong, WC;
West, R;
(2015)
A Mobile App to Aid Smoking Cessation: Preliminary Evaluation of SmokeFree28.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
, 17
(1)
, Article e17. 10.2196/jmir.3479.
![[thumbnail of J_Med_Internet_Res.pdf]](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) Preview |
Text
J_Med_Internet_Res.pdf Available under License : See the attached licence file. Download (453kB) |
Abstract
Background: Little is known about the effectiveness of mobile apps in aiding smoking cessation or their validity for automated collection of data on smoking cessation outcomes. Objective: We conducted a preliminary evaluation of SF28 (SF28 is the name of the app, short for SmokeFree28)—an app aimed at helping smokers to be smoke-free for 28 days. / Methods: Data on sociodemographic characteristics, smoking history, number of logins, and abstinence at each login were uploaded to a server from SF28 between August 2012 and August 2013. Users were included if they were aged 16 years or over, smoked cigarettes at the time of registration, had set a quit date, and used the app at least once on or after their quit date. Their characteristics were compared with data from a representative sample of smokers trying to stop smoking in England. The percentage of users recording 28 days of abstinence was compared with a value of 15% estimated for unaided quitting. Correlations were assessed between recorded abstinence for 28 days and well-established abstinence predictors. / Results: A total of 1170 users met the inclusion criteria. Compared with smokers trying to quit in England, they had higher consumption, and were younger, more likely to be female, and had a non-manual rather than manual occupation. In total, 18.9% (95% CI 16.7-21.1) were recorded as being abstinent from smoking for 28 days or longer. The mean number of logins was 8.5 (SD 9.0). The proportion recording abstinence for 28 days or longer was higher in users who were older, in a non-manual occupation, and in those using a smoking cessation medication. / Conclusions: The recorded 28-day abstinence rates from the mobile app, SF28, suggest that it may help some smokers to stop smoking. Further evaluation by means of a randomized trial appears to be warranted.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Mobile App to Aid Smoking Cessation: Preliminary Evaluation of SmokeFree28 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.2196/jmir.3479 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3479 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © Harveen Kaur Ubhi, Susan Michie, Daniel Kotz, Wai Chi Wong, Robert West. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 16.01.2015. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. |
| Keywords: | PRIME theory, apps, mobile, smartphone, smoking cessation intervention |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1463819 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
