New Delhi: Finding it difficult to quit smoking? British researchers have developed a stop-smoking mobile app that senses where and when you might be triggered to light up and could help you quit. Research from the University of East Anglia developed the app – Quit Sense – which is the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) stop-smoking app that detects when people are entering a place where they used to smoke.
It then provides help in managing the specific smoking triggers of the people in that space. The research team hopes that by helping people manage trigger situations, the new app will help more smokers quit. ,Also Read: SBI relaunches Amrit Kalash FD scheme: Check interest rate, benefits, and more,
“We know that attempts to quit often fail because the urge to smoke is triggered by spending time in places where people used to smoke. This could be in pubs or at work, for example. (ALSO READ: Latest FD interest rates 2023 for senior citizens: 6 best banks offering over 8% on 3-year fixed deposits,
Professor Felix Naughton, lead researcher from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: “Apart from using medication, there is no current way of helping smokers to manage these types of conditions and to resist the urge when they happen. “
“Quit Sense is an AI smartphone app that learns about the time, location and triggers of previous smoking events to decide when to help users manage their urge to smoke in real-time,” said Dr. Cloe. When and what message to show them to help.” Siegel-Brown of Cambridge University has created the app.
The team conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 209 smokers who were recruited through social media. They were sent links by text message to access their allocated treatment – all participants received a link to NHS online stop-smoking support, but in addition only half received the Quit Sense app.
Six months later, participants were asked to complete follow-up measures online and mail back a saliva sample to verify their abstinence to report smoking cessation.
The findings, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, showed that people who were offered the app were four times more likely to have quit smoking after six months, compared to those only offered online NHS support.
However, a limitation of this relatively small-scale study was that less than half of those who reported having quit smoking returned a saliva sample to verify that they had quit. The team said more research is needed to provide a better estimate of the app’s effectiveness.