JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Tobacco use remains a leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mobile health technologies offer promising, scalable tools for smoking cessation, but little is known about their actual or intended use among smokers.

Objective:

To assess the prevalence of mobile technology use for smoking cessation among smokers and former smokers and to examine their intention to use.

Methods:

MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo were searched from inception to February 13, 2025. Studies were eligible if they reported prevalences of the use of mobile technologies for smoking cessation of (former) smokers in high-income countries. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool for prevalence studies. Data synthesis was conducted narratively. A study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42025647875).

Results:

A total of 27 studies with 117 to 27323 participants from high-income countries were included. All studies used a cross-sectional design. Reported lifetime prevalence of mobile technology use for smoking cessation ranged from 2.5% to 35.9%, depending on the technology type and population. Point and period prevalence were generally lower, with internet and app use during the most recent quit attempt ranging from 0% to 10.9%. The use was more common among younger individuals, with mixed findings regarding sex differences. Intention to use mobile technologies was generally higher than actual use, with up to 46.7% expressing willingness to use websites or apps to quit smoking.

Conclusions:

Despite the widespread availability and demonstrated effectiveness of mobile technologies for smoking cessation, their actual use remains limited. The results indicate that greater emphasis should be placed on implementation strategies to bridge the gap between availability and actual use.