Utilization and Effectiveness of a Message-Based Tobacco Cessation Program (mCessation) in the Chinese General Population: Longitudinal, Real-world Study

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials on text message interventions for smoking cessation have shown they are effective and recommended for tobacco control. However, the effectiveness in real-world settings is largely unknown, especially in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide real-world evidence about the utilization and effectiveness of a message-based tobacco cessation program (mCessation) in China. METHODS: From May 2021 to September 2022, 16,746 people from the general population participated in the mCessation program provided by the World Health Organization. All participants received text messages on smoking cessation via instant messaging for 6 months, and they were also required to report smoking status. We randomly selected 2500 participants and interviewed them by telephone to determine the 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate at 6 months. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze population characteristics and abstinence rate. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore risk factors for the abstinence rate. RESULTS: Among the 2500 participants, the mean age was 35 years, and most (2407/2500, 96.20%) were male. The prevalence of tobacco dependence and light degree of tobacco dependence were 85.70% (2142/2500) and 89.10% (2228/2500), respectively. For respondents (953/2500, 38.10%), the 7-day point prevalence abstinence rate at 6 months was 21.90% (209/953). Participants older than 40 years or with tobacco dependence had significantly higher abstinence rates than those who were younger than 30 years old (odds ratio [OR] 1.77, 95% CI 1.06-3.29) or without dependence (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.08-2.51), respectively. However, married people or heavily dependent smokers tended to find it more difficult to successfully quit smoking compared with unmarried people (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34-0.93) or lightly dependent smokers (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.02-0.98), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a real-world setting, mCessation China was generally acceptable to men and lightly dependent smokers, and it could help 1 in 5 smokers aged 18 years to 67 years quit smoking. However, strategies to increase awareness of young and married adults may improve implementation and abstinence rates.