JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Tobacco use has shifted in recent years, especially with the introduction of e-cigarettes. Despite the now variable and intersecting tobacco product use among tobacco users, most want to quit, which necessitates cessation programming to adapt to these variable trends (versus focusing on combustible cigarettes alone). The use of online modalities for cessation support has become quite popular in recent years, and has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, understanding the current strengths and weaknesses of existing programming to meet the needs of today’s various tobacco users is critical to ensuring the saliency of such programming moving forward.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to understand the strengths and limitations of online cessation support offered through QuitNow to better understand the needs of a variety of end-users who smoke, dual-use, or vape.

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 80 tobacco users in British Columbia. Using conventional content analysis methods, we inductively derived descriptive categories and themes related to the strengths and weaknesses of QuitNow. We analyzed the data with the support of Nvivo 12 and Excel.

Results:

Participants described several strengths and limitations of QuitNow, as well as suggestions for improvement, which fell under two broad categories: Look and Feel, and Content and Features. Strengths included the government backing, welcoming vibe, and social and professional support available. Limitations included too much text, the need to create an account, and the lack of tailored behavioral support and user-driven content. In relation to suggestions for improvement, participants stated that the site needed more interaction, intuitive organization, improved interface aesthetics, a complementary smartphone app, forum discussion tags, more information for different tobacco user profiles, and user testimonials. Participants also provided ideas on how to raise awareness of QuitNow, which included social media, print-based materials, outreach, and product-based marketing.

Conclusions:

The findings of this study provide directions for enhancing the saliency of online cessation programming for a variety of tobacco use behaviors that hallmark today’s tobacco use.