Quit smoking with text messages

• April 25, 2024

"Supportive" text messages can double the likelihood that someone will be able to leave the cigar successfully, the doctor revealed Caroline Free , who directed the test called txt2stop in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine .

The research, which took place over a period of 6 months, indicated that just over 10% of the 5,800 smokers who received encouraging texts, such as "you can do it", influenced people to stop smoke , that is, twice as many who tried to do it without any "type" of help.

The study, published in The Lancet, included some text messages that show that they help stop smoking, such as: "This is the day! Throw away all your cigarettes." Today is the beginning of the END, you can do it! ". "The cravings last less than 5 minutes on average, to distract you, try to take something slowly until the desire disappears." "Do not feel bad or guilty if you've had a relapse. You've achieved a lot so far."

In the study, people were sent 5 messages daily during the first 5 weeks and then 3 weekly notes until the end of 6 months. Participants could respond to these messages for specific advice, whenever they felt cravings for smoke or when they had some relapse.

The details

"People described the txt2stop like a friend who encouraged them or, even, like an angel on his shoulder. He helped them resist the temptation to smoke, "Free said.

In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO), said that about 6 million people die each year due to smoke , especially in low and middle income countries.

On the other hand, doctors Derrick Bennett Y Jonathan Emberson , both of Oxford University, considered that text messages could be used to help people around the world:

"The lessons learned in the process txt2stop, Not only do they provide a new approach to quitting in high and middle income countries, it could also be a good starting point to implement that behavior change in low-resource settings, "said Bennett.

With this research, another possibility opens up, since apparently positive text messages could be used to help people modify various harmful behaviors, such as sedentary lifestyle , obesity , overweight , etc. What do you think. Do you think they help? Share your experience
 

Video Medicine: Quit Smoking : How to Stop Your Teenager From Smoking (April 2024).