Effectiveness of eHealth Smoking Cessation Interventions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• eHealth and mobile health (mHealth) technologies are rapidly advancing, necessitating synthesized evidence on their effectiveness for smoking cessation.
• A growing number of technology-based interventions require evaluation to understand their impact on smoking cessation.
• Knowledge synthesis is crucial due to the evolving nature of cessation interventions.

Approach:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2017 and June 2022.
• Searched four major databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Library.
• Assessed study quality using the GRADE framework and performed meta-analysis on smoking abstinence, with narrative synthesis for other outcomes.

Key Points:

• SMS/text messaging significantly increased short-term (3-month) and long-term (6-month) smoking abstinence compared to minimal support.
• mHealth apps showed short-term but not long-term abstinence benefits.
• Personalized or interactive interventions moderately increased cessation rates in both short and long terms.
• Nonabstinence outcomes like reduced cigarette consumption and increased user satisfaction were also positively impacted in some studies.

Conclusions:

• Recent eHealth interventions, predominantly mHealth, show potential for promoting smoking cessation.
• The effectiveness of these interventions may decrease over time, highlighting the need for sustained engagement.
• Future research should focus on designing more personalized and interactive interventions to maximize long-term success.