BACKGROUND: Among the 1.1 billion global smokers about 80% of them live in developing countries, and nearly 7 million of those smokers will die by 2030, including 2 million-plus in China alone. China produces and consumes about one-third of global tobacco products, which affects nearly 80% of China's total population. Currently, largely-applied programs can aid in saving millions of Chinese citizens from tobacco menaces. Two of such programs are the WHO MPOWER and FCTC programs on tobacco control. OBJECTIVE: This study proposes the assimilation and conjoint uses of quick response code (QRC) and mobile health (mHealth) technologies to aid smokers in cessation by improving their health beliefs. The study is also viable to estimate the likelihood that smokers will cut/quit smoking due to their changes in health beliefs. METHODS: Since digital technologies play a crucial role in health-care education, ergo, we programmed anti-tobacco QR codes and mHealth application, the conjoint uses of both these two tools aim to improve smokers' comprehension of tobacco perils and assist them to overcome their perceived barriers related to cessation and attain the perceived benefits of quitting. The health belief model theory was adopted and 600 English-speaking students were recruited as a convenient sample of participants in this study. RESULTS:The obtained results suggest that both printing the proposed anti-tobacco codes on cigarette packaging and adoption of mHealth can assist experts in improving the health beliefs of smokers towards smoking-cessation acceptance. CONCLUSION: This study will aid experts as technology compliance in accordance with the WHO MPOWER and FCTC programs on tobacco control in China.
Smoking prevalence is a leading health risk and preventable cause of mortality. As of 1.1 billion global smokers, 80% live in emerging countries. Predictably, 7 million of them will die annually by 2030. Mobile health (referred to as "mHealth") gets popular in today's healthcare management uses technology, and to combat smoking peril. Technology, being a societal human system with mutual inter-dependencies among its hardware, software, brainware and support network or net components, is integral to mHealth success. Technology espousal can empower health organizations to assimilate internal and external setups and applications, and the government in lieu of maneuvering healthcare management. Economic, infrastructure constraints, and high entry barriers in healthcare management has made mHealth's triumph unclear in emerging countries. We designed a mobile application namely "Smokers' Mirror" to examine mHealth's leeway on tobacco control in Pakistan. Using, the technology acceptance model (TAM) pertinent in this study context. Students' centric, time and budget constraints involved, hitherto, the study findings divulge that mHealth is expedient for smoking cessation. Moreover, Pakistani smokers agree using mHealth, believe, it is useful and easy to use. Concluding from the narrative of this study, we advocate mHealth espousal will yield promising upshots, if integrated within Pakistan's healthcare policy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.