Exploring Community Smokers' Perspectives for Developing a Chat-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention Delivered...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Mobile communication technologies offer new ways to deliver tobacco dependence treatment.
• Evidence for using mobile instant messaging (IM) apps for health behavior change, like smoking cessation, is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore community smokers' perceptions of using mobile IM for a smoking cessation intervention in Hong Kong.
• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of IM-based interventions for smoking cessation.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using 5 focus groups with 21 current smokers (15 male, 6 female) in Hong Kong.
• Semistructured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Participants viewed mobile IM as a feasible and acceptable platform for smoking cessation support.
• Personalized and adaptive behavioral support was the most valued feature.
• Suggestions for intervention design included positive messaging and using former smokers as counselors.

Conclusions:

• Mobile IM presents a novel mobile health platform for delivering smoking cessation interventions.
• Findings inform the development of chat-based IM smoking cessation programs for community trials.