Do you want to quit smoking? A smartwatch app can make this easier

Is quitting smoking one of your New Year’s resolutions? Breaking a habit can be hard, but what if something nudged you right before you turned on the light? Scientists have developed a new smartwatch app to help you quit smoking by reminding you when you’re about to smoke a cigarette.

A research team from the University of Bristol in England has developed an app that can detect the typical hand movements of a person holding a cigarette and warn the smoker with a message discouraging smoking. According to the team, this is the first-ever “just-in-time” smoking relapse prevention intervention that works solely on a smartwatch, without the need to pair with a smartphone.

“For those trying to quit smoking, initially stopping is a vulnerable moment and can lead to a complete relapse. People like smart watches. They like the idea of ​​them delivering a message while smoking. Therefore, if we can identify the point at which the error occurred and implement the intervention at that exact moment, we have the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the quit attempt.” – Chris Stone, senior research fellow in wearable technology development at the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group in Bristol and the Cancer Integrative Epidemiology Program (ICEP) explained the idea of ​​innovation in: a press release.

Researchers tested the effectiveness of a relapse prevention app on 18 people who were ready to quit. During the study, participants wore a regular Android smartwatch with a custom app installed. After two weeks, many people reported that the smartwatch helped them become more aware of their smoking habits, and the constant reminders made them stop and reconsider their actions.

Impressively, 66% of participants found the smartwatch intervention not only feasible but also acceptable, making it a promising tool to support behavior change and prevent smoking relapse.

According to Alizée Froguel, cancer prevention policy manager at UK Cancer Research, quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to prevent cancer. “This study shows that smart watches can be a useful method of helping people quit smoking, but more research is needed to understand their effectiveness. There are many tools available to help people quit smoking, and getting support from a free local smoking cessation service will give you the best chance of stopping successfully,” Froguel said.