Using Quitguide to Provide Location- and Time-Based Support for Smoking Cessation

Background: The geo-location capabilities inherent in mobile devices provide an opportunity for smoking cessation professionals to deliver timely, on demand, support based on user’s location. Through the use of features such as geo-tagging and geo-fencing, mobile phone apps can leverage location information to support users at the exact time and place they need it with cessation messaging and positive encouragement. Additionally, time-based support is another crucial element for smoking cessation efficacy, as many persons experience cravings or withdrawal symptoms at specific times of the day or in relation to certain activities or places. Providing regular support at specific times of day or places, mobile applications can act as an intervening element during crucial daily junctures of a user’s quit journey. 

Program background: Smokefree.gov is a digital smoking cessation initiative from the National Cancer Institute comprised of multiple web and mobile tools primarily designed to help individuals interested in quitting smoking. One of those tools, the QuitGuide mobile app, allows users to tracks cravings, moods, slips, and smokefree progress to understand their smoking patterns and build the skills needed to successfully become and remain smokefree. Recent updates to Smokefree’s QuitGuide app allow users to tag a specific location or time and receive craving or slip messages based on this information. Users who leverage these features can choose to receive a QuitGuide system message or provide their own custom support message. Users of the app can select and edit their tagged locations using a settings interface or an interactive map. 

Evaluation Methods and Results: Usage data for the time-based and geo-fencing functionality was evaluated for one month post-launch (February 11-March 12, 2016) using Google Analytics data. Additional analyses are ongoing to examine the extent to which these features are used, user-level data on patterns of time- and location-based craving and slip events, and how these data may complement or elucidate data gathered on other features of QuitGuide. During this first month, the  geo-fencing feature was used by 221 users, time of day feature was used by 199 users, and automatic time of day entry (user chooses to get a support message at the same time every day) was used 188 times out of 551 total time of day events. 

Conclusions: As mobile capabilities continue to evolve, health communication practitioners can leverage features that provide more personalized and interactive information to increase health behavior adoption. Providing users with the ability to designate locations and times that impede their ability to quit smoking is a simple way to provide on-demand cessation support. The initial adoption and usage of these features suggests that it is meeting user needs. 

Implications for research and/or practice: The use of time and location based support expands beyond smoking cessation and can be integrated into a number of different health contexts. Additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of these features in facilitating smoking cessation.