Smoking cessation interventions are effective, but they are not easily accessible for all treatment-seeking smokers. Mobile health (mHealth) apps have been used in recent years to overcome some of these limitations. Smoking cessation apps can be used in combination with a face-to-face intervention (FFSC-Apps), or alone as general apps (GSC-Apps). Smartphone apps for smoking cessation could be promising tools. However, more research with an adequate methodological quality is needed to determine its effect. Nevertheless, smartphone apps’ high availability and attractiveness represent a great opportunity to reach large populations.
Concerning smoking cessation outcomes (Table 2), two studies found significant differences in abstinence rates between conditions at each point-assessment [32,44] and one at the 6-months but not at the 3-months point-assessment [55]. The remaining two studies reported similar quit rates between the experimental and the control group at each point-assessment [33,47]. Regarding cigarettes per day (CPD) outcomes, one study found significant differences between conditions [34] and two studies did not find significant differences [47,55].
Of the seven studies that used comparison groups, four were RCTs [41,45,46,49] and three were CCTs [35,36,37]. Four studies compared two mobile apps [35,36,46,49], one compared the use of a mobile app (experimental group) to brief advice (control group) [37], and two studies compared three treatment conditions [41,45]. Regarding smoking cessation outcomes (Table 2), one showed significant differences in abstinence rates between groups [46]. Regarding CPD outcomes, one study found significant reductions in CPD from baseline to the 1-month follow-up [49], and one study showed that participants who had not stopped smoking in the combined condition (app combined with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) face-to-face treatment) reported significantly less CPD at post-treatment compared to the other two conditions. Finally, one study found no significant differences between study arms [37]. The remaining studies did not report CPD outcomes.
Regarding the features of smoking cessation apps (Table 3), we clustered them into the following groups depending on the content of the apps: CO; set a quit date; EMAS; self-tracking or smoking self-report; mindfulness content; and ACT content.
Overall, smoking cessation apps are useful tools for smoking cessation. Most studies using a comparison group showed that smartphone apps were at least as useful as the control conditions (e.g., brief advice, other mobile apps), obtaining abstinence rates at the end of treatment ranging from 36 to 100%. Regarding before-and-after studies, the abstinence rates obtained ranged between 12.5 and 51.5%. Despite these abstinence outcomes being lower than those obtained in conventional psychological and pharmacological interventions [56], the possibility of increasing treatment access to a wider population of smokers makes them promising tools in terms of public health impact. Additionally, results from studies measuring CPD suggest that smoking cessation apps are also as effective as control groups (e.g., print-based self-help materials, other mobile apps) in reducing cigarette use. More research is needed to obtain more accurate conclusions about relapse rates, because only one study assessed this outcome.
In summary, smoking cessation apps are promising tools that could be easily integrated into smoking cessation treatments. They may be able to improve some clinical aspects such as motivation and treatment adherence. Moreover, professionals can use these apps to facilitate communication with the patient, provide content in an easier way, and obtain different data that can improve the effectiveness of treatments.
More research with strong methodological quality is needed to determine more accurately the effect of mobile apps, combined or not with face-to-face contact, on smoking cessation outcomes. Moreover, future studies should design smoking cessation apps adhering to standard guidelines [72,73] and using rigorous methodologies, including sample size calculations, intention-to-treat analysis, and longer follow-up periods. Due to the emerging development of this field, it is expected that future research will resolve the current limitations to draw clear conclusions.
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/ijerph182111664