FOR people who are trying to quit smoking, mobile chat messaging with a counsellor and a supportive chatbot app can help prevent relapse by as much as 30%, according to international research published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The study looked at almost 600 daily smokers who had already abstained for three to 30 days, and were receiving smoking cessation treatment though clinics in Hong Kong.
Half the participants were given chat-based support with a live counsellor and access to a supportive chatbot via a messaging app for three months, while the control group received eight text messages over three months containing generic smoking cessation advice.
All participants received usual smoking cessation treatment from the services.
After six months, people who received the counsellor and chatbot support were significantly more likely to be abstinent for longer, with 46% of the intervention group not smoking versus 36% of the control group.
The intervention group also had a lower relapse rate.
"This randomised clinical trial found that mobile chat messaging for smoking relapse prevention increased validated abstinence by approximately 30%, offering a scalable approach to sustain abstinence among individuals who recently quit smoking," the researchers concluded.
The study is available HERE.
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