Text messages can double smoking quit rates

Sending motivational text messages to smokers trying to give up the habit can double their success rate, according to a large scale study published in the Lancet.

Nearly 6,000 people took part in the txt2quit programme, with half of them being sent motivational messages up to 5 times per day, and the other half acting as a control group which received simple "thank you" messages once every two weeks.

The researchers then checked the progress of each group by testing the participants for the presence of smoking related chemicals in their saliva.

This showed that the success rate was double in the active group (10.7%) compared to the control group (4.9%).

Smokers themselves helped to create the content of the text messages, with input from experts in smoking cessation. Examples of the messages sent include:

• "This is it! – QUIT DAY, throw away all your fags. TODAY is the start of being QUIT forever, you can do it!"
• "Cravings last less than 5 minutes on average. To help distract yourself, try sipping a drink slowly until the craving is over"

These were sent 5 times per day in the first 5 weeks of the trial, followed by 3 per week for the remaining 26 weeks. Smokers could also request messages by texting in to the service.

Study leader Dr Caroline Free of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: "Text messages are a very convenient way for smokers to receive support to quit. People described txt2stop as being like having a 'friend' encouraging them or an 'angel on their shoulder'. It helped people resist the temptation to smoke."

Glyn Mcintosh of QUIT, which helps people stop smoking and helped recruit volunteers for the programme, said: "We are delighted with the results and hope that text motivation will now become a standard part of the quitting process."

This article was published on Thu 30 June 2011