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Developing a Game (Inner Dragon) Within a Leading Smartphone App for Smoking Cessation: Design and Feasibility
Justin S White1,2,3, Marie K Salem1, Séverine Toussaert4
1Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
JMIR Serious Games
|August 11, 2023
Summary
Integrating a game into a smoking cessation app shows promise. The Inner Dragon game within Smoke Free demonstrated feasibility and user engagement, supporting further evaluation for smoking cessation.
Area of Science:
- Digital health interventions
- Behavioral economics in health
- Serious games for health
Background:
- Smartphone apps utilize serious games for smoking cessation, but uptake and efficacy evidence are limited.
- Integrating games into established smoking cessation apps presents feasibility challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the design and development of the Inner Dragon game.
- To assess the feasibility and acceptability of integrating Inner Dragon into the Smoke Free app.
- To evaluate the gamified app's potential for smoking cessation.
Main Methods:
- Phase 1: Multistep game design with end-user focus groups (n=15).
- Phase 2: Single-arm feasibility trial with 30 users of the Smoke Free app aiming to quit smoking.
- Assessed feasibility of study procedures for a future randomized pilot trial.
Main Results:
- Inner Dragon was designed using psychological principles and behavioral economics, incorporating engagement-enhancing game mechanics.
- The feasibility trial (n=30) confirmed study method feasibility.
- 75% of participants engaged with Inner Dragon, with use positively associated with overall app sessions (correlation 0.57).
Conclusions:
- The Inner Dragon game is a potentially beneficial feature for the Smoke Free app.
- Further development and evaluation are warranted.
- A randomized pilot trial will assess if the gamified app enhances user engagement compared to the standard version.
