Robyn Whittaker|Hayden McRobbie|Chris Bullen|Anthony Rodgers|Yulong Gu|Rosie Dobson
Mobile phone text messaging and app-based interventions for smoking cessation
University of Auckland|National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs|UNSW Sydney|University of Auckland|The George Institute for Global Health|Stockton University|University of Auckland
mobile phonebased smoking cessation support mcessation offers opportunity provide behavioural support cannot want facetoface support addition mcessation automated therefore provided affordably even resourcepoor settings update cochrane review first published 2006 previously updated 2009 2012to determine whether mobile phonebased smoking cessation interventions increase smoking cessation rates people smokefor update searched cochrane tobacco addiction groups specialised register along clinicaltrialsgov ictrp date recent searches 29 october 2018participants smokers age eligible interventions testing type predominantly mobile phonebased programme text messages smartphone app smoking cessation included randomised controlled trials smoking cessation outcomes reported least sixmonth followupwe used standard methodological procedures described cochrane handbook systematic reviews interventions performed study eligibility checks data extraction duplicate performed metaanalyses stringent measures abstinence six months followup longer using mantelhaenszel randomeffects method pooling studies similar interventions similar comparators calculate risk ratios rr corresponding 95 confidence intervals ci conducted analyses including randomised dropouts counted still smoking complete cases onlythis review includes 26 studies 33849 participants overall judged 13 studies low risk bias three high risk remainder unclear risk settings recruitment procedures varied across studies studies conducted highincome countries moderatecertainty evidence limited inconsistency automated text messaging interventions effective minimal smoking cessation support rr 154 95 ci 119 200 i2 71 13 studies 14133 participants also moderatecertainty evidence limited imprecision text messaging added smoking cessation interventions effective smoking cessation interventions alone rr 159 95 ci 109 233 i2 0 4 studies 997 participants two studies comparing text messaging smoking cessation interventions three studies comparing high lowintensity messaging show significant differences groups rr 092 95 ci 061 140 i2 27 2 studies 2238 participants rr 100 95 ci 095 106 i2 0 3 studies 12985 participants respectively confidence intervals wide former comparison five studies compared smoking cessation smartphone app lowerintensity smoking cessation support either lowerintensity app nonapp minimal support pooled evidence deemed low certainty due inconsistency serious imprecision provided evidence smartphone apps improved likelihood smoking cessation rr 100 95 ci 066 152 i2 59 5 studies 3079 participants smartphone apps tested differed apps included analysis two used contingency management one combined text messaging app pool using complete case data opposed using data participants randomised substantially alter findingsthere moderatecertainty evidence automated text messagebased smoking cessation interventions result greater quit rates minimal smoking cessation support moderatecertainty evidence benefit text messaging interventions addition smoking cessation support comparison smoking cessation support alone evidence comparing smartphone apps less intensive support low certainty randomised controlled trials needed test interventions