Efficacy of an Internet-based, individually tailored smoking cessation program: A randomized-controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Digital Health Interventions
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Self-help computer-based programs offer accessible and cost-effective smoking cessation solutions.
• Evaluating new digital interventions is crucial as meta-analyses may not generalize to novel programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the marginal efficacy of an individually tailored computer program (the Coach) when added to a comprehensive Internet smoking cessation website.

Main Methods:

• A two-group randomized controlled trial comparing a website-only control group with an intervention group receiving the Coach plus the website.
• Follow-up assessments at three and six months via self-administered e-mail questionnaires.
• Primary outcome: self-reported smoking abstinence over four weeks.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in smoking cessation rates were observed between groups at three or six months when including dropouts as smokers.
• Excluding dropouts, the intervention group showed significantly higher cessation rates at three months but not at six months.
• The Coach program significantly increased motivation to quit (3 months) and self-efficacy (3 and 6 months).

Conclusions:

• An individually tailored Internet-based program, when added to a comprehensive website, did not significantly improve smoking cessation rates.
• The intervention demonstrated a positive impact on increasing participants' motivation and self-efficacy for quitting smoking.
• Further research may be needed to optimize digital interventions for sustained smoking cessation.