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Cited by 51Smoking Behavior and CessationMobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Impact of a Novel Smartphone App (CureApp Smoking Cessation) on Nicotine Dependence: Prospective Single-Arm Interventional Pilot Study

Open access
Masaki, Katsunori, Tateno, Hiroki, Kameyama, Naofumi, Morino, Eriko, Watanabe, Riri, Sekine, Kazuma, Ono, Tomohiro, Satake, Kohta +4 more·2019·JMIR mHealth and uHealth
DOI 10.2196/12694PMC PMC6399570

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mobile apps have been considered to provide active and continuous support for smoking cessation. However, it is yet to be known whether a smoking cessation smartphone app improves long-term abstinence rates in nicotine-dependent patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term abstinence effect of a novel smartphone app, CureApp Smoking Cessation (CASC), in patients with nicotine dependence. METHODS: In this prospective, interventional, multicenter, single-arm study, we provided the CASC app to all the participants, who used it daily for 24 weeks. The CASC app includes features to maximize the therapeutic effect of pharmacological therapies and counseling at outpatient clinics for smoking cessation. The primary endpoint was a continuous abstinence rate (CAR) from weeks 9 to 24, whereas secondary endpoints were CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52. RESULTS: Of the 56 adult smokers recruited, 1 did not download the app; therefore, 55 participants constituted the full analysis sample. The CAR from weeks 9 to 24 was 64% (35/55, 95% CI 51%-76%), whereas the CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52 were 76% (42/55, 95% CI 65%-88%) and 58% (32/55, 95% CI 46%-71%), respectively. These CARs were better than the results of the national survey on outpatient clinics with regard to smoking cessation under the National Health Insurance Program and that of the varenicline phase 3 trial in Japan and the United States. There was only 1 participant who dropped out during the 12 weeks of the treatment period. This treatment decreased the scores related to withdrawal and craving symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of CASC to usual smoking cessation therapies resulted in high CARs, high patient retention rates, and improvement of cessation-related symptoms. The smartphone app CASC is a feasible and useful tool to help long-term continuous abstinence that can be combined with a standard smoking cessation treatment program.

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  • Among non-RCT studies, Maher et al and Brar Prayaga et al reported highest compliance (5/9, 56%), followed by Masaki et al, Prochaska et al, and To et al (4/9, 44%).

    “Among the non-RCT studies, the studies by Maher et al [22] and Brar Prayaga et al [30] reported the highest compliance (5/9, 56%), followed closely by the studies by Masaki et al [25], Prochaska et al [31], and To et al [32] (4/9, 44%).”

    From Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for Promoting Health Behavioral Changes: Systematic Review. (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

    The Methods > Study Design passage identifies Masaki et al. as a prospective, single-arm study, supporting its classification as a non-RCT. The paper reports app-usage measures in Results > App Usage, but not compliance of 4/9 (44%); that rating is not supported by this source. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Masaki et al reported that overall continuous abstinence rates (76% at 12 weeks, 64% at 24 weeks, and 58% at 52 weeks) were better than results of the outpatient clinic and the varenicline phase 3 trial in the United States and Japan.

    “Masaki et al [25] reported that the overall continuous abstinence rate results (76%, 12 weeks; 64%, 24 weeks; and 58%, 52 weeks) were better than the results of the outpatient clinic (calculated through the national survey) and the varenicline (medication for smoking cessation) phase 3 trial in the United States and Japan.”

    From Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for Promoting Health Behavioral Changes: Systematic Review. (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

  • Of the 15 studies, 4 (27%) assessed efficacy of AI chatbots in smoking cessation.

    “Out of the 15 studies, 4 (27%) studies [23-25,27] assessed the efficacy of AI chatbots in smoking cessation.”

    From Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for Promoting Health Behavioral Changes: Systematic Review. (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

  • Masaki et al reported a decrease in social nicotine dependence (mean −6.7, SD 5.2), tobacco craving (mean −0.6, SD 1.5), and withdrawal symptoms (mean −6.4, SD 5.8).

    “Masaki et al [25] reported a decrease in social nicotine dependence (mean −6.7, SD 5.2), tobacco craving (mean −0.6, SD 1.5), and withdrawal symptoms (mean −6.4, SD 5.8), their secondary outcomes.”

    From Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for Promoting Health Behavioral Changes: Systematic Review. (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [5]The Japanese Circulation Society 2019-02-09 The Standard Procedure Manual for Smoking Cessation, 6th edition, 2014 http://www.j-circ.or.jp/kinen/anti_smoke_std/pdf/anti_smoke_std_rev6.pdf

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Authors
Masaki, K., Tateno, H., Kameyama, N., Morino, E., Watanabe, R., Sekine, K., Ono, T., Satake, K., Suzuki, S., Nomura, A., Betsuyaku, T., & Fukunaga, K.
Affiliations
  • Keio University (JP)
  • National Center for Global Health and Medicine (JP)
  • Nippon Koukan Hospital (JP)
  • Ono Clinic (JP)
  • Kanazawa University (JP)
Corresponding author
Fukunaga, Koichi
ORCID
Venue
JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
Published
2019-02-19
Volume
7
Issue
2
Pages
e12694
ISSN
2291-5222 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2196/12694
PMC
PMC6399570
OpenAlex
W2909035599
Cited by
51
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
FWCI
4.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • JMIR mhealth and uhealth (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
smoking cessation, mobile application, nicotine dependence, continuous abstinence rate, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, craving, varenicline, outpatient counseling, mobile health
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Japan, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Prospective Studies, Tobacco Use Disorder, Smoking Cessation, Mobile Applications

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