JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Smoking cessation applications (Apps) are increasingly being used to assist smokers in quitting. In China, whether behavioral science has been incorporated into smoking cessation Apps remains unknown.

Objective:

The current study aims to describe the usage of behavior change techniques (BCTs) among smoking cessation Apps available in China and to evaluate the relationship between BCTs utilization and the quality of included smoking cessation Apps.

Methods:

We searched eligible smoking cessation Apps twice on Sep 12 and Oct 4, 2022. We coded them with BCTs and assessed their quality by the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and rating score in the App Store. Correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to assess the association between the number of BCTs used and the quality of Apps.

Results:

9 Apps were included in the final analyses. The average number of BCTs being used was 11.44 ± 2.57, ranging from 5 to 29. The most frequently used BCTs were providing feedback on current smoking behavior, prompting review of goals, prompting self-monitoring of one’s smoking behavior, and assessing current and past smoking behavior. The average score of MARS for the Apps was 3.88, ranging from 3.29 to 4.46, which was positively correlated with the number of BCTs used (r=0.79, p<0.05).

Conclusions:

The usage of behavior change techniques (BCTs) in smoking cessation Apps is generally low. Even the most popular App did not fully use behavior change techniques and was not rated with high quality. Smoking cessation Apps should increase their adoption of behavior change techniques and improve their quality to maximize the effect of helping smokers quit smoking.