0Smartphone apps designed to help people quit smoking show potential when compared with attempting to quit without any support, based on a review of 31 studies that examined quitting using mobile applications and that highlight the growing interest in digital tools to support behavior change.
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However the results are exploratory and the certainty of the evidence is low, indicating that more high quality studies are needed to confirm these findings and to identify which features of the apps are most effective for different groups of quitters.
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The authors note that combining an app with traditional interventions such as nicotine replacement therapy and counselling may double the effectiveness of these interventions and could provide a layered approach to cessation.
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Smartphone apps have the potential to become a cornerstone of global tobacco control because they can provide intensive interactive and real time support while overcoming barriers such as limited clinic capacity and the shrinking reach of telephone quitlines which are facing decline in usage in many regions.
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These findings suggest that smartphone apps could reach a wide audience by delivering around the clock support and interactive guidance remotely and by enabling ongoing motivation and feedback between users and tailored content.
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Nevertheless the overall certainty remains low and the evidence base would benefit from longer term follow up and clearer identification of which app features and which populations benefit most to guide future development and deployment.
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If future high quality research confirms these benefits smartphone apps could become a central strategy in global tobacco control by offering scalable intensive support that complements pharmacologic and counseling interventions and by enabling public health programs to reach smokers at scale.
