Design and pilot evaluation of an internet smoking cessation program

Area of Science:

• Health Behavior Change
• Digital Health Interventions
• Smoking Cessation

Background:

• Limited understanding exists on effectively using the internet for health behavior change.
• Internet-based interventions offer a scalable approach to health promotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a multiple-contact internet smoking cessation program.
• To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of an 8-week web-based smoking cessation program.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 49 smokers using a web-based course, self-monitoring tools, and tailored emails.
• Assessed website return rates, module completion, and participant satisfaction with intervention components.

Main Results:

• 34% of participants quit smoking or achieved a 50% reduction in cigarette use.
• Participants completed an average of 2 out of 8 educational modules.
• Email and web components were rated similarly in value by respondents.

Conclusions:

• The internet smoking cessation program showed potential for impacting smoking behaviors.
• Low engagement suggests challenges in maintaining participant interest in the current design.
• Further research is needed to optimize internet-based interventions for sustained engagement and effectiveness.