BACKGROUND
Despite the growing availability of smoking cessation apps, low engagement and cessation rates have remained a significant challenge. To address this issue, we employed a user-centered design to iteratively develop a mobile app (MO) to provide comprehensive, tailored, and evidence-based content to support smokers in their quitting journey.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the acceptability, usability, and preliminary efficacy of the MO app for smoking cessation. Specifically, we sought to 1) understand smokers’ preferred features, engagement, and satisfaction with MO; 2) identify concerns in using the app and ways to improve the app; and 3) evaluate its smoking cessation outcomes.
METHODS
Methods: Through three cohorts, we recruited 10, 12, and 85 adult smokers who attempted to quit smoking to pilot test the MO app. Participants’ app usage was tracked and analyzed. The primary outcome measures were participants’ 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 6 and 12 weeks.
RESULTS
Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the MO app across all three cohorts, rating it between 4.40 and 4.76 on a scale of 5 for acceptability. Users engaged with app activities for an average of 89-159 times over 35 days. The overall quit rate of the modified intention to treat population in cohort three was 49.41% at 6 weeks and 47.06% at 12 weeks. Those who engaged more frequently with app features and completed a greater variety of activities were more likely to maintain abstinence. Participants who earned more than 5000 points during app use also had higher odds of quitting at both 6 weeks (OR = 3.12; 95% CI = 1.25 – 7.75) and 12 weeks (OR = 4.65; 95% CI = 1.83 – 11.76), compared to those who earned less than 5000 points.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that MO is a feasible mobile phone app with high acceptability and usability and can effectively deliver smoking cessation support to individuals who want to quit. Implications for developing and evaluating mobile phone apps for smoking cessation are discussed.