BACKGROUND: The tobacco epidemic is one of the most serious current public health problems in the world. Professional help to quit smoking can greatly improve the success rate of quitting. In order to provide more convenient and accessible help to quit smoking, the Tobacco Control Office of the China CDC has developed a mobile smoking cessation tool that can provide phased personalized smoking cessation interventions.
METHODS: Using a randomized controlled trial design, a total of 1236 current smokers were recruited through online recruitment from August to September in 2023. The subjects were randomly divided into the control group （n=618） and the intervention group （n=618）. The investigation was performed with questionnaire online. "Helping You Quit" APP and "Electronic self-help smoking cessation manual" were used in intervention group, only "Electronic self-help smoking cessation manual" was used in controlled group. After the intervention for three months, the smoking cessation was assessed. The χ² test and log-binomial regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
RESULTS: The results of intentionality（ITT）analysis showed that the sustained cessation rate, the attempted cessation rate and the time-point cessation rate of the subjects in the intervention group were 19.90%，70.71% and 27.18%, which were significantly higher than those（13.27%，59.22% and 17.80%）in controlled group, P<0.05. The results of log-binomial regression analysis showed that the effect in the subjects of the intervention group was relatively better （RR=1.638，95% CI：1.204 -2.230）; Those with moderate（RR=0.556，95% CI：0.371-0.834）and severe（RR=0.539，95% CI：0.375-0.777）nicotine dependence were less likely to sustain smoking cessation than those with mild degrees.
CONCLUSIONS: "Help You Quit" APP can significantly increase the quit attempts and short-term quit rates of smokers，and it should be considered as a supplement of current smoking cessation services.