The development of a smoking cessation app for smartphones in the form of a game: A novel addition to smoking cessation services
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Author(s)
Dr. Elizabeth Ann Edwards, Ms Hope Caton, Dr. Carol Rivas and Professor Robert Walton
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| Presenter(s) |
Dr Elizabeth Ann Edwards Academic Clinical Fellow, Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Bart’s and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London |
Abstract Background: A billion people smoke tobacco worldwide making tobacco dependence a major Public Health challenge and the leading cause of preventable death globally. Whilst 66% of smokers want to quit, few successfully do so and 33% think health risks are exaggerated. Thus, new methods for smoking cessation are urgently needed.
Smartphone games currently comprise the largest market share of mobile phone apps making up 33% of all downloads and offer a potentially cost effective platform for health promotion. The use of gamification is effective in promoting healthy behaviours and delivering health promotion advice however, there is as yet no dedicated game to promote smoking cessation.
Aim: To use gamification techniques to develop a new smoking cessation app implementing validated behaviour change methods.
Methods: The app has been developed iteratively and collaboratively with public health practitioners, game designers, health psychologists and smokers. Smokers were invited through patient participation groups to try the game. A qualitative framework analysis of their comments was conducted.
Results: Players found the game an engaging and motivating way to deliver smoking cessation advice. We plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial against clinical outcomes.
Conclusion: Large-scale uptake of this app could have an enormous Public Health impact.
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Presenter biography Dr. Elizabeth Ann Edwards, MBBS, MRCP, DFRSH
I am currently an Academic Clinical Fellow at Bart’s and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in my second year of GP Training. I am a member of the Smoking Treatment Optimisation in Pharmacies research team from the Centre for Primary Care and Public Health at Queen Mary University. I graduated from Bart’s and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2008 and then went on to complete my Foundation training. Subsequently, I completed two years of Core Medical Training obtaining membership to the Royal Colleges of Physicians.
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Source of funding: National Institute for Health Research
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Declaration of interest: None
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