Neill Bruce Baskerville*, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada David Hammond, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Laura Louise Struik*, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada Robyn Whittaker*, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Cameron Norman, CENSE Research + Design, Toronto, Canada Emmanuel Guindon, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Stephen Brown, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Catherine Burns, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Kelly Grindrod*, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada Track: Research Presentation Topic: Web 2.0 approaches for behaviour change, public health and biosurveillance Presentation Type: Rapid-Fire Presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Sheraton Maui Resort Room: B - Kapalua Date: 2014-11-14 02:00 PM – 02:45 PM Last modified: 2014-10-21

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Background: Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable chronic disease and death in developed countries worldwide. In Canada, smoking rates are highest among young adults. Despite that the majority of young adult smokers indicate wanting to quit, smoking rates among this age demographic have yet to decline. Helping young adults quit smoking continues to be a public health priority. Digital mobile technologies present a promising media for reaching this population with smoking cessation interventions, especially because young adults are the heaviest users of this technology.
Objective: The primary aim of this trial is to determine the effectiveness of an evidence-informed smartphone app for smoking cessation, CrushtheCrave®, on reducing smoking prevalence among young adult smokers.
Methods: A parallel randomized controlled trial with two arms will be conducted in Canada to evaluate CrushtheCrave®. In total, 1354 young adult smokers (19 to 29) will be randomized to receive the evidence-informed smartphone app, CrushtheCrave® , or an evidence-based self-help guide known as “On the Road to Quitting” (control) for a period of six months. The primary outcome measure is 30-day point prevalence of abstinence at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include 7-day point prevalence of abstinence, number of quit attempts, reduction in consumption of cigarettes, self-efficacy, satisfaction, app utilization metrics, and use of smoking cessation services. A cost-effectiveness analysis from a government perspective using a Markov model is included. To obtain a more in-depth understanding of the potential barriers and facilitators to uptake of CrushtheCrave®, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of participants in the intervention group.
Results: This randomized controlled trial will provide the evidence to move forward on decision-making regarding the inclusion of technology-based smartphone interventions as part of existing smoking cessation efforts made by healthcare providers, inform the development of future apps, provide a deeper understanding of the factors that drive change in smoking behaviour using an app, and improve the design of cessation apps.
Conclusions: This trial is among the first to assess the effect of a comprehensive and evidence-informed mHealth app intervention on young adult smoking cessation. Strengths of the trial include the quality research design, the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, and in-depth assessment of the implementation of the intervention. If effective, the trial has the potential to demonstrate that including mHealth as a population-based intervention strategy can cost-effectively reach a greater proportion of the population and help young adult smokers quit.