Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Nov 28, 2020
Date Accepted: Aug 1, 2021
Preventing smoking relapse after a clinical smoking cessation program – A mixed methods case study evaluation of a Facebook-based peer and clinician-supported platform
ABSTRACT
Background:
Smoking rates in developed countries are decreasing, but each country has trouble achieving their target level. After completion of a smoking cessation program, smoking-relapse prevention is highly germane to reducing smoking rates.
Objective:
This study aimed to 1) evaluate one-year outcomes of a social media-based and peer-supported smoking cessation program on Facebook and 2) examine communication patterns that could support smoking cessation and identify risk of relapse.
Methods:
We utilized a mixed methods case study evaluation approach featuring a single-case holistic design. We recruited volunteers who signed up after successful completion of a 12-week clinical smoking cessation program in a general medicine department in Japan. The participants were given access to a private Facebook page where we analyzed their posts, including text and emoticons. We utilized joint display analysis which involved iterative structuring and restructuring construct-specific tables with both types of data to find the most effective approach for integrating the quantitative results with the qualitative results of content analysis.
Results:
We analyzed 1 successful participant and 2 relapse participants to explore the specific patterns in their postings. Decisive comments to quit smoking were common among participants, but encouraging messages for Facebook peers were more common from the successful participant. Comments for social support and reassurance were warning signs of relapse. Conflicted comments also may be a warning sign of relapse.
Conclusions:
These findings based on a mixed methods case study of a social media platform supporting smoking cessation could be utilized to guide messaging in other online social networking services (SNSs) communities after a smoking-cessation program to help reduce smoking relapse. Clinical Trial: The trial is registered at the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry. Registration number: UMIN000031172. Registered 28 February 2018, https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index-j.htm.
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