Behavioral Activation-Based Digital Smoking Cessation Intervention for Individuals With Depressive Symptoms:...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Public health
• Digital health

Background:

• Depression is highly prevalent in adult cigarette smokers.
• Current depression-specific smoking cessation interventions have limited reach.
• There is a need for scalable, tailored cessation treatments for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a mobile app intervention for depression and smoking cessation.
• To assess the efficacy of a depression-tailored app paired with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

Main Methods:

• A 2-arm randomized clinical trial involving 150 US adults with depressive symptoms who smoke.
• Intervention: Mobile app (Goal2Quit) with behavioral strategies and NRT sample.
• Control: Self-help booklet for smoking cessation.

Main Results:

• The Goal2Quit app demonstrated strong usability.
• Participants using the app and NRT showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared to controls.
• Higher 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates were observed in the intervention group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.

Conclusions:

• A mobile app intervention tailored for depression, combined with NRT, is effective for treating depression and promoting smoking cessation.
• This approach meets a critical public health need for accessible, specialized cessation treatments.