Weekly enrollment and usage patterns in an Internet smoking cessation intervention.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Previous analyses of search queries reveal weekly patterns in smoking cessation information seeking.
• Calls to quitlines also show similar circaseptan (weekly) rhythms.
• These patterns suggest that smoking cessation behaviors may have a weekly rhythm.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if weekly enrollment and usage patterns exist for an Internet-based smoking cessation intervention.
• To leverage identified weekly patterns for improved intervention reach.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of process data from a large, established Internet smoking cessation intervention (www.becomeanex.org).
• Pearson's chi-squared tests to identify day-of-the-week differences in enrollment, community page visits, and quit date selection.
• Regression analysis to examine engagement activity based on enrollment day.

Main Results:

• Users were significantly more likely to enroll at the beginning of the week (Mondays and Tuesdays).
• Smokers selected quit dates earlier in the week (Sundays and Mondays).
• Engagement with interactive features was lower for users enrolling on Fridays and Saturdays.

Conclusions:

• Individuals are more inclined to enroll in online smoking cessation programs and use core features early in the week.
• Targeting marketing and promotional efforts to the beginning of the week may enhance the reach of these interventions.
• Aligning intervention promotion with user-initiated weekly patterns can optimize engagement.