eHealth Intervention for Smoking Cessation for Czech Tobacco Smokers: Pilot Study of User Acceptance
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The development of information and communication technologies is bringing new therapeutic options, including behavioural changes in the area of health promotion. The eHealth interventions also offer new options in efforts to stop smoking.
AIM: A pilot study aimed at the assessment of the functionality aspects and user acceptance of an eHealth application for quitting smoking. METHODS: The study used a mixedmethods design and was conducted from July 2016 to February 2017.
We recruited 34 tobacco users (solely cigarette smokers). Thirty respondents tested the eHealth application on their own mobile devices for a predefined period of time (up to one month).
Quantitative data was collected with a data management system of the eHealth program. User acceptance was surveyed through structured telephone interviews.
Feedback from the users was collected via qualitative focus groups. Quantitative analysis was performed using descriptive statistics; qualitative data was analysed with the cluster analysis method.
RESULTS: The respondents completed 10 days of the pre-quitting phase on average and three weeks of the quitting phase, with a total of 19 delivered and completed online sessions. Overall, the therapeutic aspects of the eHealth intervention were seen as positive.
Nearly 75% of all the actively participating respondents (n=30) preferred the eHealth intervention to seeking other professional services during the quitting phase. The study confirmed the acceptance of the new treatment modality from the point of view of the target group of tobacco smokers, despite some technical issues accompanying the pilot launch of the intervention.
The eHealth application that was evaluated constitutes a promising and innovative direction in addiction treatment.