'Do U Smoke?' Text Messages Can Help You Quit

Study Shows Text Messages Play Important Role in Motivating Smokers to QuitBy Nicky Broyd
WebMD Health News

June 30, 2011 -- Mobile phones could hold the key to people giving up smoking after a study involving sending motivational and supportive text messages to smokers doubled quit rates after six months.

The "txt2stop" study is the first to verify quit rates using biochemical testing. It shows that smokers are twice as likely to quit their habit when receiving motivational text messages compared with those receiving standard texts.

The study published in The Lancet is by Caroline Free, PhD, of the Clinical Trials Research Unit of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues. It was partly funded by the U.K. Medical Research Council.

In a news release, Free says, "Text messages are a very convenient way for smokers to receive support to quit. People described txt2stop as like having a 'friend' encouraging them or an 'angel on their shoulder.' It helped people resist the temptation to smoke."

Researchers randomly assigned 5,800 U.K. smokers who were willing to quit to either the txt2stop group (2,915 smokers) or to a comparison group receiving only non-motivational texts (2,885 smokers).

The txt2stop group received five text messages a day for the first five weeks and then three per week for the next 26 weeks, with a personalized system that also allowed people to receive instant messages at times of need by texting the word "crave" or "lapse."

Motivational texts included encouragement up to the actual quit day, advice on keeping weight off while quitting, and help dealing with cravings. For example, the craving text read: "Cravings last less than five minutes on average. To help distract yourself, try sipping a drink slowly until the craving is over."

Participants who texted "lapse" would receive a text that read: "Don't feel bad or guilty if you've slipped. You've achieved a lot by stopping for a while. Slip-ups can be a normal part of the quitting process. Keep going, you can do it!"

Non-motivational texts simply thanked people for their participation, requested confirmation of contact details, or said a range of other things not connected to smoking itself. For example: "Being part of this will help others in the future. Thanks for your help!" or "Only four more weeks to go until completion of the study!"

Abstinence from smoking was confirmed by testing the levels of cotinine (a chemical in tobacco) found in participants' saliva.

Quitting smoking has huge implications for health, but although two out of three smokers would like to give up, they often fail. Participants in the txt2stop group were more than twice as likely to have quit after six months than those in the comparison group (10.7% vs. 4.9% respectively).

Professor Max Parmar, director of the Medical Research Council clinical trials unit in the U.K., says in a news release, "This research has shown that texting could be a powerful tool to help people to walk away from cigarettes for good."

Glyn Mcintosh, director of development and communications at the U.K. charity QUIT, which helped develop the text messages and find volunteers for the study, says in a news release, "We are delighted with the results and hope that text motivation will now become a standard part of the quitting process."

Nearly Half of U.S. Teens Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs

New Report Calls Teen Substance Abuse America’s No. 1 Public Health Problem

June 29, 2011 -- Nearly half of all American high school students smoke, drink alcohol, or use illicit drugs, according to a new report. And one in four who started using these substances before they turned 18 may become addicts.

One-quarter of people in the U.S. who began using drugs or alcohol before age 18 meet the criteria for drug or alcohol addiction, compared with one of 25 Americans who started using drugs or alcohol when they were 21 or older, according to the report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in New York City.

“I was surprised at the prevalence of substance use disorders among young people,” says study author Susan E. Foster, CASA’s vice president and director of policy research and analysis. The new study opens a window of opportunity for providers and parents to intervene and prevent addiction, she says.

“Do everything you can to get young people through their teen years without using drugs or alcohol,” she says. “Every year they don’t use drugs or alcohol reduces their risk of negative consequences, such as addiction.”

According to information cited in the new report:

Ten million or 75% of high school students have tried tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine; and one in five of them meet the medical criteria for addiction.Of the 6.1 million or 46% of high school students who currently use addictive substances, one in three is addicted to these substances.The most common drug of choice among high school students in the U.S. is alcohol, followed by cigarettes and marijuana.

The findings are based on surveys of 1,000 high school students, 1,000 parents of high school students, and 500 school officers, along with expert interviews, focus groups, a literature review of 2,000 scientific articles, and an analysis of seven data sets.

“Health care providers need to integrate screening for substance abuse into their practice, and treat and refer patients,” Foster says. This may be easier said than done because there is a dearth of addiction treatment information and options available as well as insurance barriers, she says.

Parents need to know what their teens are up to and who they spend time with, she says.

Modeling good behavior is also important, Foster says. “Make sure they know that it doesn’t take a drink or drug to relax,” she says. And “if you do suspect there is a problem, get help fast because it won’t go away, and will probably exacerbate fast.”

“Teen substance abuse is a huge problem,” says Stephen Grcevich, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Family Center by the fall in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. “The numbers in the new report are very consistent with what we see in context of our practice and surrounding areas.”