#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM HOW TO#
#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM VERIFICATION#
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#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM FREE#

One novel approach for promoting smoking cessation that has garnered empirical support is the delivery of smoking cessation programs through automated text messages on mobile phones ( Free et al., 2011 Free et al., 2013 Whittaker et al., 2012). Despite the health and economic consequences associated with smoking ( Max, 2001 Levine et al., 2012), 20.9% of Israeli adults, including 30.1% of Israeli young adults, smoke cigarettes ( WHO, 2011). This article originally appeared on, an Atlantic partner site.Around the world, tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and is associated with disability and disease burden ( Mokdad, Marks, Stroup, & Gerberding, 2004 World Health Organization (WHO), 2009 Centers for Disease Control, 2008). The study offers evidence that a well-designed text messaging program can be extremely helpful to people willing to embark on the difficult task of quitting smoking.Īn article on the study appears the Lancet. They were classed as unsuccessful at their attempt to quit.

But it was better than simply taking the participants' word that they had quit smoking about 25 percent of those who reported six months abstinence from smoking failed the biochemical verification.

#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM VERIFICATION#

So the verification was not perfect, only being able to show if a participant had smoked within the last few days. This was biochemically verified either by testing for the tobacco metabolite cotinine in their saliva or by carbon monoxide testing of their blood.Ĭotinine is short-lived within the body, with a half-life of only 20 hours, and can only be detected for a few days after the use of tobacco.

About half of all participants did so.Īt the end of the study, 542 participants reported six months continuous smoking abstinence. And they were allowed to use other smoking cessation support or services if they chose to.

#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM TRIAL#

Smokers could also request the mobile phone number of another trial participant, so they could text each other for support. By texting 'lapse' after they had succumbed to the lure of smoking, they would receive a message encouraging them not to give up and to continue with their attempt to quit. One text message reminded them that cravings usually last five minutes or less and suggested that they slowly sip a drink until their cravings passed.

#SMOKE FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM HOW TO#

By texting 'crave,' they would receive an instant message on how to deal with cravings. Participants in the study were able to receive additional messages during their most stressful moments. There were 186 different core text messages and 713 different personalized ones. For example, smokers who had expressed concern about weight gain while quitting would receive more messages on weight control, exercise tips, and recipes. The program, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was also personalized. Others encouraged them to identify the challenges of quitting and make plans to overcome these challenges. Many encouraged participants to focus on their successes in quitting, not the failures. They advised participants to get get rid of cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters and to avoid environments where they would normally smoke. Some emphasized the benefits of quitting, while others offered specific advice on how to quit.

Their goal was to provide positive feedback that would help smokers persevere in their attempt to quit. The other half received text messages every 14 days thanking them for taking part in the study. Half received supportive and encouraging text messages designed to help them stay tobacco-free, five messages a day for the first five weeks and then three messages a week for the next 26 weeks. The study started with 5,800 smokers, age 16 or older, who were willing to make an attempt to quit smoking within the next month. Quitting was defined as six months of not smoking, with no more than five cigarettes smoked during this period. MORE FROM THE DOCTOR: Wider Waists & Colon Cancer Pressure Ulcers, Diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorderįully 10.7 percent of smokers who received the text messages succeeded at quitting smoking, compared to 4.9 percent of smokers who received only generic text messages.

Smoke free text messaging program