Text2Quit: Results from a pilot study of an interactive mobile health program designed to help people quit smoking

Mobile health applications have shown some promise in helping people quit smoking. This session will review the development and pilot test of a state-of-the-art interactive text-messaging program for smoking cessation, the Text2Quit program. Text2Quit consists of a series of personalized text messages timed around a participant's quit date. The text messages include advice on quitting, peer ex-smoker messages, medication reminders, games, and relapse messages. Text2Quit also lets participants text in for support if they need additional motivation, are having a craving, or relapse. The text program is supported by a personalized web site and periodic emails. Results from a 4-week pilot test of the program (n=23) indicate that the majority of users reported liking the program, reading most/all of the texts, and replying to the texts. On average, users made 11.8 responses to texts over a 4 week period and were responders for 21.7 days after enrollment. Males were found to be more likely to be responders than females (p<.05). The results also indicate that responses declined sharply following the quit date and no participants made it into the “not ready to quit” protocol. All participants reported making a quit attempt, and based on self-report, 14.3% of participants quit smoking at 4 weeks. Plans for revision of the Text2Quit program are discussed.