Can smart watches help quit smoking?

Researchers have developed advanced motion sensing software for smartwatches that can detect the typical hand movements of a person with a smoking habit, The Guardian reported on January 1.

When smoking behavior is detected, the warning light on the smartwatch lights up, the application will vibrate and send a message advising to stop smoking. Content can include motivational messages like “Quitting smoking helps you breathe easier. It’s good to quit smoking” or contains information about how many cigarettes you smoke a day.

According to research published in the journal JMIR Formative Researchscientists at the University of Bristol believe the app they have developed is the first timely intervention to prevent a person from relapsing, as it warns the moment a person is about to smoke. In addition, the application can be used on smartwatches without connecting to the phone.

The above study tested the smartwatch application on 18 people who wanted to quit smoking, aged 18 – 70 and smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day. They are allowed to wear a smartwatch with a warning sensor for 2 weeks, after this process they will answer 27 questions. The results showed that 66% of participants approved of wearing a smartwatch with a smoking warning sensor, while 61% of people said that the messages received were relevant to them.

Positive feedback included people saying that the app increased their awareness about tobacco, made them feel like quitting, stopped and thought before thinking about smoking, and helped them smoke less medication, as well as constant encouragement. Meanwhile, negative feedback suggests that messages are repeated, thereby gradually losing effectiveness, some messages are displayed slowly, lack of message diversity, or information is sometimes ambiguous.

The next step that the research team hopes is to be able to test long-term effectiveness and be able to use a variety of messages to support smoking cessation.