JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Despite the benefits of smoking cessation, maintaining abstinence during a quit attempt is difficult and most attempts result in relapse. Innovative, evidence-based methods of preventing relapse are needed. We present a smartwatch-based relapse prevention system that uses passive detection of smoking (using the StopWatch platform) to trigger just-in-time smoking cessation support.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of hosting just-in-time smoking cessation support on a smartwatch, and the acceptability of the 'StopWatch' intervention on this platform.

Methods:

The Person-Based Approach for intervention development was used to design the StopWatch smoking relapse intervention with messaging co-designed by smokers. Intervention delivery was triggered by an algorithm identifying hand movements characteristic of smoking from the smartwatch’s motion sensors, and the intervention messages were delivered on the smartwatch screen. Twenty smokers tested the intervention over a two-week period, and at the end of this time provided qualitative feedback on acceptability of both the intervention and the smartwatch platform. Data on intervention adherence was also recorded by the smartwatch.

Results:

Participants reported that the smartwatch intervention led to increased awareness of smoking, and motivated them towards quitting. Intervention messages were generally felt to be relevant and timely. There were some challenges with battery life that had implications for intervention adherence, and the bulkiness of the device and the notification style reduced some participants’ acceptability of the smartwatch platform.

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate our smoking relapse intervention, and the use of a smartwatch as a platform to host a just-in-time behaviour change intervention, is both feasible and acceptable to the majority of participants as a relapse prevention intervention, but we identify some concerns around the physical limitations of the smartwatch device. We also highlighted some challenges to be overcome in future implementation, particularly the bulkiness of the device and the battery capacity presenting a risk to adherence to the intervention and the potential for missed detections. We recommend that a longer-term efficacy trial be carried out as the next step.