Abstract
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). The aims of this review were (1) to examine the effects of FFSC-Apps and GSC-Apps on abstinence, tobacco use, and relapse rates; and (2) to describe their features. A systematic review was conducted following the internationally Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Of the total 6016 studies screened, 24 were included, of which nine used GSC-Apps and 15 FFSC-Apps. Eight studies reported significant differences between conditions in smoking cessation outcomes, with three of them being in favor of the use of apps, and two between different point-assessments. Concerning Apps features, most GSC-Apps included self-tracking and setting a quit plan, whereas most of the FFSC-Apps included self-tracking and carbon monoxide (CO) measures. 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.
Highlights
IntroductionTobacco components are related to different harmful cardiovascular and respiratory effects [2]
Smoking is the main avoidable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]
The results obtained in this review suggest that smoking cessation apps are useful tools for smoking cessation
Summary
Tobacco components are related to different harmful cardiovascular and respiratory effects [2]. The more common physical illnesses related to smoking are cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and reproductive problems [3]. Smokers have a poorer quality of life [5] and a higher likelihood of having mental health problems [6], such as depression or anxiety [7]. Traditional treatments have limitations such as low utilization [9,10], they do not provide fast and tailored responses to smoking urges [11], they require costly resources and health services [12], and smoking cessation services are not accessible to all treatment-seeking smokers [13]
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