Quitting smoking is notoriously difficult, but a custom smartwatch app could make it much easier, according to a new study.
The study found that two-thirds of participants could potentially quit smoking using an app that detects typical smoking movements through a smartwatch’s built-in motion sensors.
Developed by researchers at the University of Bristol, the software uses these sensors to recognize hand movements associated with smoking, record lapses, and deliver prevention messages directly to the wearer.
The app was tested on 18 participants interested in quitting smoking, who wore an Android smartwatch for two weeks. According to the University of Bristol, participants reported increased awareness of their smoking habits, particularly the automatic aspects of the behavior, which motivated them to quit.
Twelve out of 18 – or 66% – of participants said they considered the smartwatch intervention to be both feasible and acceptable. The app does not need to be tied to a smartphone to work.
According to Chris Stone, senior research associate in Wearable Technology Application Development in Bristol’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, people like smartwatches and “the idea of it delivering a message at the point that they smoke.”
“For those who are trying to give up, an initial lapse is a vulnerable moment, and risks leading to full relapse to smoking,” Stone said.
“Therefore, if we can identify this point of lapse, and deliver an intervention precisely at that point, we have an opportunity to improve the success of the quit attempt.”
Smoking remains the leading cause of cancer in the UK. Stopping entirely is the best way to prevent it, said Alizée Froguel, prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study.
“This study shows that smartwatches could be a useful method to help people quit smoking, but more research is needed to understand how effective they are,” Froguel said.
“There are many tools available to help people quit, and getting support from your free local stop smoking service will give you the best chance of stopping successfully.”
The research team said a longer-term effectiveness trial will need to be carried out as the next step. The results of the study were published in JMIR Formative Research.
Although the proportion of smokers in the UK has been declining, over 6 million adults aged 18 and over – representing 11.9% of the population – were still smoking in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics.
In the US, 11.6% of the population smoked in 2022, equivalent to 28.8 million people, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
In the EU, nearly a quarter of the population still smokes, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. Regional differences are stark, with countries like Bulgaria reporting a smoking rate of 35%, compared to just 8% in Sweden.
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