More than smokefree: Healthy lifestyle and weight management on women.smokefree.gov

Background: Women smokers face unique barriers to smoking cessation and may experience greater difficulty quitting than men. Developed by the National Cancer Institute, Women.smokefree.gov (SfW) was launched in 2009 to provide women with a gender-responsive, evidence-based resource for smoking cessation. Website content is accessible in online and mobile platforms and promoted via social media tools. Based on social media analysis, SfW was expanded in 2012 to address women's broader health interests including lifestyle behaviors and weight management.

Purpose: To evaluate user-reach and engagement of the enhanced SfW content focusing on healthier lifestyles (physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, social support) and weight management.

Methods: Analysis of changes in user reach and engagement is based on quantitative metrics and qualitative data collected prior to and following a two-week promotional campaign focused on the enhanced SfW content.

Results: Following the initial soft launch of the enhanced SfW content in September 2012, website activity increased nearly 22% from 13,928 (August) to 16,941 unique visitors (September), with a steady increase in visits to the lifestyle and weight management sections. An active promotional campaign is scheduled for May 2013. Data on changes in total visits and unique visitors following the promotional campaign will be presented, along with qualitative data on user engagement.

Conclusions: Women face unique barriers to smoking cessation that may be addressed by adopting a whole-person approach to smoking cessation resources that focus on other lifestyle factors that may impede cessation success. The enhanced SfW content reflects a promising step-forward in this effort.