Abstract
BackgroundThe mobile app market differs from country to country, and to date, no previous review of the content quality of smoking cessation apps has been conducted in France.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the general quality of the most popular smoking cessation apps in France and also determine the degree to which apps adhere to established behavioral and cognitive techniques (BCTs) proven effective in clinical practice.MethodsA systematic research of smoking cessation apps was conducted in both the Google Play Store and Apple Store in the French market. The general quality of popular apps was rated with the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), and the therapeutic quality was assessed with the ratio of adherence of the behavior change technique taxonomy for smoking cessation treatment.ResultsA total of 14 mobile apps met all the inclusion criteria of the content analysis. The interrater reliability varied from “substantial” (0.79) to “almost perfect” (0.9) for the two measures. The mean MARS score was 3.5 out of 5 (median 3.6, IQR 0.6 [3.2-3.8]). The findings suggest that popular apps focus primarily on the functionality dimension of the MARS scale (4.2/5). The mean number of BCTs was 22, with a large difference between apps (minimum 4, maximum 38). At least half of the apps addressed motivation (8.8/14, 63%) and advised on using behavioral skills in order to quit smoking or stay a nonsmoker (8.7/14, 62%). However, only a handful of apps gathered important information (5.9/14, 42%) in order to deliver proper advice regarding the use of approved medication or the implementation of behavioral techniques (4.3/14, 31%). The mean MARS score was positively correlated with the price (r=0.70, P=.007) and the number of BCTs used (r=0.67, P=.01). User rating was not correlated with any quality scale (P=.67).ConclusionsThe content quality of popular smoking cessation apps in France varied by app type and price. Most popular apps propose in general good quality content but lack implementation of evidence-based BCTs associated with effectiveness on smoking cessation treatment. Further research is needed to evaluate the improvement in the content quality of smoking cessation apps in France.
Highlights
Despite a significant decrease in tobacco consumption in France from 30% in 2000 to 25.4% in 2018 and implementation of corresponding antismoking policies [1] and proven effective treatments [2], the prevalence of smokers aged 18 to 75 years is still a public health issue [1].https://mhealth.jmir.org/2021/5/e26082 XSLFO RenderXJMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2021 | vol 9 | iss. 5 | e26082 | p. 1Among the new solutions proposed, mobile apps appear to be a promising form of support [3,4]
Most popular apps propose in general good quality content but lack implementation of evidence-based behavioral and cognitive techniques (BCTs) associated with effectiveness on smoking cessation treatment
French mobile health (mHealth) apps were reviewed in this study, with the aim to examine both of the following aspects of content quality: the general quality via the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) scale and the therapeutic dimension though the behavior change technique taxonomy
Summary
The number of available smoking cessation apps is growing, as is their user base. In 2009, there were 62 such apps available in the US market, and 3 years later, the number had quadrupled to 252 [10,11]. As a Cochrane review notes, despite this proliferation of smoking cessation apps, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that they have a significant positive effect on long-term smoking cessation [12], even if studies conducted on text message interventions have shown efficacy in increasing smoking cessation rates by 50% to 60% [12]. The mobile app market differs from country to country, and to date, no previous review of the content quality of smoking cessation apps has been conducted in France
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