Insightful Visualizations: Leveraging SmokefreeTXT Data to Inform Text Based Health Programs

Background: Within less than a decade the mobile health industry emerged as a viable conduit for health behavior change. In particular, text message based programs centered on health information dissemination and chronic disease management and prevention have proliferated.

Methods: In 2011, the National Cancer Institute developed SmokefreeTXT, the first federal text based smoking cessation program. SmokefreeTXT subscribers sign up for the program via SMS or website registration and receive cessation messaging for six to eight weeks. The program collects demographic information from subscribers at sign-up and routinely evaluates their progress throughout the program. Data visualization software was leveraged to provide deeper insights into SmokefreeTXT and how subscribers were using the program.

Results:  Data presented will focus on measures such as abstinence, mood status, and craving level throughout the course of the program in addition to self-reported quit rates at the end of treatment, and at 1-, 3- and 6-months post treatment. Specific data visualizations and analysis will also be presented to provide insight into a number of useful data such as commonly selected quit dates; typical week days and time of day for program registration; geographic location of program users; and demographic patterns in program utilization.

Conclusions: By conducting detailed analyses and leveraging powerful data visualization software, key opportunities to enhance text based health behavior change programs have been elucidated based on SmokefreeTXT findings. Furthermore, these results can be used to influence effective promotion of such text based programs.