At the right time

Smartwatch app helps people quit smoking

Many people want to quit smoking, but often fail to do so.

(Bild: WavebreakMediaMicro/stock.adobe.com)

Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK have developed a smartwatch app to help people quit smoking. Two thirds of them say that the technology has the potential to actually achieve this goal.

Smoking is one of the main causes of preventable disease and premature death. It damages almost every organ in the body and reduces both quality of life and life expectancy. However, quitting smoking is notoriously difficult.

Researchers at the University of Bristol have therefore developed software that uses the motion sensors of smartwatches to recognize the typical hand movements of smokers. As soon as a smoker reaches for a cigarette, the watch displays a relapse prevention message "at exactly the right moment", according to a statement from the university.

Initial results published in the journal "JMIR Formative Research" are promising: the researchers tested the app over a period of two weeks on 18 people who wanted to quit smoking. The participants reported that the smartwatch intervention raised their awareness of smoking, which helped them with some of the more "automatic aspects" of smoking and made them think about their actions to ultimately quit.

The app is designed to prevent smokers from reaching for a cigarette at the crucial moment.

(Bild: bristol.ac.uk/Chris Stone)

The decisive moment
"For people trying to quit smoking, a first relapse is a delicate moment and carries the risk of falling back completely. So if we can identify this moment of relapse and intervene at exactly this point, we have the chance to improve the success of the quit attempt," explained study leader Chris Stone.

Alizée Froguel from Cancer Research UK, a cancer research charity, added: "Smoking is the leading cause of cancer in the UK and the best thing you can do for your health is to quit completely. This study shows that smartwatches could be a useful way to help people quit smoking."

The only downer for all those who started the new year with the resolution to smoke less or not at all: The app is not yet available. Further research is needed for the time being, according to the university. As a next step, the scientists want to carry out a longer-term effectiveness study.