Feasibility and acceptability of using Wi-Fi access points to provide smoking cessation help at 17 airports and 38 railway stations across China

BACKGROUND: The use of mobile phone significantly improved the outcomes of tobacco cessation. However, its feasibility and acceptability were unclear in the Chinese population. This study was to explore the feasibility of using Wi-Fi access points (APs) as a platform to provide smoking cessation help at 17 airports and 38 railway stations across China. METHODS: This study was divided into two stages: platform development and population survey. In the first stage, a survey platform was developed and incorporated into Wi-Fi service at airports and railway stations, which could provide survey content as a pop-up window when participants tried to access the Wi-Fi service. In the second stage, a population survey was conducted to explore the intention to receive tobacco cessation support. RESULTS: A total of 20,199 users participated and 13,628 users submitted the survey, with a response rate of 67.47%. The smoking rate was 30.9%. A total of 86.58% of smoking participants and 2.44% of non-smoking participants wished to receive tobacco cessation support, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed intention to receive support did not differ in age, gender, and heaviness of smoking (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Providing tobacco cessation support via Wi-Fi APs is feasible and efficient, and smokers have high intention to receive tobacco cessation support. It is suggested hospitals, academia, information technology industries, and government agencies must work together to provide tobacco cessation support via mHealth.