Self-reported quit rates and quit attempts among subscribers of a mobile text messaging-based tobacco cessation programme in India

Abstract

IntroductionIn 2015, as part of the WHO and International Telecommunication Union’s ‘Be Healthy Be Mobile’ initiative using mobile technology to combat non-communicable diseases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in India developed a short text message-based mobile health programme (the ‘mCessation’ programme) to support tobacco users to quit tobacco use.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of the mCessation programme by estimating quit rates and quit attempts among registered subscribers of the programme and to understand subscriber perceptions of the programme.MethodsSubscribers to the mCessation (QuitNow) programme were telephonically interviewed 4–6 months after registration. A total of 12 502 calls were made, and completed responses recorded from 3362 ever tobacco users. A total of 6978 respondents either gave very few responses or refused to participate in the telephonic survey. Never tobacco users (1935) and subscribers to the mDiabetes programme (227) were excluded from the sample.ResultsA large proportion of registrants (1935 out of 12 502 respondents) were found to be never users. The quit rate (estimated as those who stated they had not had any tobacco in the past 30 days at 4–6 months after registering with the programme from the total sample (excluding never smokers and mDiabetes registrants)) was 19%. Sixty-six per cent of registered subscribers who were current tobacco users had made quit attempts in the period between registration and survey. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents reported that the programme was helpful/very helpful to quit tobacco.ConclusionThe mCessation programme has successfully helped tobacco users in India to quit tobacco by motivating and supporting registered participants through mobile text messages.

TXTTaofiTapaa: pilot trial of a Samoan mobile phone smoking cessation programme

“…The only published mCessation quit rate from an LMIC is from an evaluation of the national implementation of mCessation programme in India. 13 However the outcome is substantially different -30 day abstinence at 4-6 months -and so it is hard to compare with our findings.…”

“…Twenty-four (24) participants took up this offer and received the full programme albeit later than the other participants. Thirteen (13) were not contactable or refused the programme at that time. Only 17 out of the 24 re-enrolled participants were able to be complete the post-programme survey, the other 7 were lost to follow.…”

Smokeless tobacco control in India: policy review and lessons for high-burden countries

“…The national quitlines under the NTCP should be promoted at the district and local level along with the details of m-Cessation. 47 The cessation counselling facilities should be integrated with the community health centres and all healthcare workers should be trained for basic cessation services including counselling. Nicotine replacement therapy, where necessary, should be made available as part of essential medicine as already done in four countries ( table 2 ).…”

The effect of a clinic-based behavioral intervention in promoting enrolment in a text-message tobacco cessation program at a rural primary health clinic in Delhi, India

“…We pretested the BBPMC in 10 male tobacco users at a different site and observed 30% enrolment in the MCP on the application of the intervention. Assuming 10% of tobacco users would enroll in the MCP in the absence of any intervention, and that 30% tobacco users would enroll after receiving the BBPMC, the sample size was estimated to be 158, at 90% power and 95% confidence level, as per a binary outcome superiority trial formula 13 . Participants were enrolled in the trial via consecutive sampling.…”