JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Text messages are effective smoking cessation interventions. However, there is little research on text message interventions for people who smoke and wish to quit by switching to vaping.

Objective:

Over three phases, we co-developed and co-produced a mobile phone text message programme. The co-production paradigm allowed us to collaborate with researchers and the community to develop a more relevant, effective, and equitable text message programme.

Methods:

In Phase 1, we engaged people who vape and asked them to write text messages for people who wish to quit smoking by switching to vaping. In Phase 2, we evaluated the recommendations from Phase 1 via an online survey, where participants (n= 202, 66 female) rated up to 20 messages based on constructs e.g., understandability, clarity, interesting; inoffensive; positive or enthusiastic. Based on those ratings, a working group and people who vape co-developed the final set of text messages. In Phase 3, we implemented those text messages as part of a larger randomised optimisation trial where 603 (Mage = 38.33; 369 female) participants received text message support.

Results:

For Phase 2, descriptive analyses were used to calculate the mean score for each construct which revealed that texts were mostly rated high for understandability, clarity, and believability. For Phase 3, 70% of the participants who received the text messages found them useful. In addition, a chi-square showed a significant association between quit rates and usefulness ratings which highlights the need for further research to examine the impact of different types of text messages on quit rates.

Conclusions:

We encourage researchers to use the present mobile phone text message programme and adapt it to target populations and relevant contexts; for instance, by considering the use of disposable vapes.