Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessing Digital Support for Smoking Cessation

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Information Systems (EMCIS 2019)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 381))

  • 2191 Accesses

Abstract

Tobacco still kills more than 7 million people each year. Research points to several evidence-based interventions to support smoking cessation which, if applied widely, could considerably reduce premature deaths. There is a huge range of mobile apps targeting this concern, which could potentially be powerful catalysts to provide this support. Yet it is unclear how much of their design is evidence-based and how effective they are. To address this issue, this paper provides an analysis of 99 popular smoking cessation apps. The results show that only two apps come from a credible source, provide support for user engagement through advanced motivational affordances and have been evaluated for efficacy.

Supported by the Swiss Learning Health System project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Abroms, L.C., Lee Westmaas, J., Bontemps-Jones, J., Ramani, R., Mellerson, J.: A content analysis of popular smartphone apps for smoking cessation. Am. J. Prev. Med. 45(6), 732–736 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Abroms, L.C., Padmanabhan, N., Thaweethai, L., Phillips, T.: iPhone apps for smoking cessation: a content analysis. Am. J. Prev. Med. 40(3), 279–285 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bennett, M.E., Toffey, K., Dickerson, F., Himelhoch, S., Katsafanas, E., Savage, C.L.: A Review of Android Apps for Smoking Cessation (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bricker, J.B., et al.: Randomized, controlled pilot trial of a smartphone app for smoking cessation using acceptance and commitment therapy. Drug Alcohol Depend. 143(1), 87–94 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Cheng, F., Xu, J., Su, C., Fu, X., Bricker, J.: Content analysis of smartphone apps for smoking cessation in china: empirical study. JMIR mHealth uHealth 5(7), e93 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dijkstra, A., De Vries, H., Roijackers, J.: Long-term effectiveness of computer- generated tailored feedback in smoking cessation. Health Educ. Res. 13(2), 207–214 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. El Ali, A., Matviienko, A., Feld, Y., Heuten, W., Boll, S.: VapeTracker: tracking vapor consumption to help e-cigarette users quit. In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hartmann-Boyce, J., Stead, L.F., Cahill, K., Lancaster, T.: Efficacy of interventions to combat tobacco addiction: Cochrane update of 2013 reviews. Addiction 109(9), 1414–1425 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Clinical Practice Guideline Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence 2008 Update Panel, Liaisons, Staff: A clinical practice guideline for treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. A U.S. Public Health Service Report. Am. J. Prev. Med. 35(2), 158–176 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hoeppner, B.B., et al.: How smart are smartphone apps for smoking cessation? a content analysis. Nicotine Tob. Res. 18(5), 1025–1031 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Huang, S.C., Jin, L., Zhang, Y.: Step by step: Sub-goals as a source of motivation. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 141, 1–15 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Information Consumer Health Corporation: Motivating Patients to Use Smart-phone Health Apps. Technical report (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Lin, Y., Tudor-Sfetea, C., Siddiqui, S., Sherwani, Y., Ahmed, M., Eisingerich, A.B.: Effective behavioral changes through a digital mHealth app: exploring the impact of hedonic well-being, psychological empowerment and inspiration. J. Med. Int. Res. 20(6) (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Meng, F., Guo, X., Peng, Z., Zhang, X., Vogel, D.: The routine use of mobile health services in the presence of health consciousness. Electron. Commer. Res. Appl. 35, 100847 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Paay, J., et al.: Quitty: using technology to persuade smokers to quit. In: Proceedings of the 8th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction Fun, Fast, Foundational – NordiCHI 2014 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Pernencar, C., et al.: Planning a health promotion program: mobile app gamification as a tool to engage adolescents. Procedia Comput. Sci. 138, 113–118 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Sama, P.R., Eapen, Z.J., Weinfurt, K.P., Shah, B.R., Schulman, K.A.: An evaluation of mobile health application tools. JMIR mHealth uHealth 2(2), e19 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Sardi, L., Idri, A., Fernández-Alemán, J.L.: A systematic review of gamification in e-Health. J. Biomed. Inform. 71, 31–48 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Smith, S., Roberts, N., Kerr, S., Smith, S.: Behavioral interventions associated with smoking cessation in the treatment of tobacco use. Health Serv. Insights 6, 79–85 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Stead, L., Carroll, A., Lancaster, T.: Group behaviour therapy programmes for smoking cessation (review). Cochrane Database of Syst. Revi. Group 3(3), CD001007 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Strauss, A., Corbin, J.: Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage Publications, London (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Strauss, A.L.: Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1987)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  23. Suh, A., Wagner, C., Liu, L.: Enhancing user engagement through gamification. J. Comput. Inf. Syst. 58(3), 204–213 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Sussman, S.W., Siegal, W.S.: Informational influence in organizations: An integrated approach to knowledge adoption. Inf. Syst. Res. 14(1), 47–65 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Thornton, L., et al.: Free smoking cessation mobile apps available in Australia: a quality review and content analysis. Aust. N. Z. J. Public Health 41(6), 625–630 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tudor-Sfetea, C., et al.: Evaluation of two mobile health apps in the context of smoking cessation: qualitative study of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus Non-CBT-based digital solutions. J. Med. Internet Res. 20(4) (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Verbiest, M., et al.: National guidelines for smoking cessation in primary care: a literature review and evidence analysis. NPJ Prim. Care Respir. Med. 27(1), 0–1 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. West, R., et al.: Health-care interventions to promote and assist tobacco cessation: a review of efficacy, effectiveness and affordability for use in national guideline development. Addiction 110(9), 1388–1403 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. WHO: Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020, p. 102. World Health Organization (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  30. WHO: Tobacco (2019). http://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/tobacco

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

    Alessio De Santo & Adrian Holzer

Authors
  1. Alessio De Santo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adrian Holzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessio De Santo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Marinos Themistocleous

  2. British University in Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Maria Papadaki

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

De Santo, A., Holzer, A. (2020). Assessing Digital Support for Smoking Cessation. In: Themistocleous, M., Papadaki, M. (eds) Information Systems. EMCIS 2019. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 381. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44322-1_25

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44322-1_25

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44321-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44322-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation