Software Intervention in Smoking Cessation among Engineering Students in Bhubaneswar City: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to test the effectiveness of a photoaging software (APRILAGE(©)) intervention based on personalized, vivid illustrations of “smoker's face” among smokers aged 18–24 years of age in Bhubaneswar city through a self-structured questionnaire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 204 engineering college students were randomized into two groups: intervention and control. A self-structured questionnaire in the form of Google Form was distributed among the participants. The study group participants were photographed using Aprilage(®) Software. Follow-up data were collected using the same questionnaire at 1-month and 3-month intervals. Statistical Analysis was done using STATA 15 software. Descriptive statistics and the relation between the dependent and independent variables were done using the nonparametric tests of significance. The probability value was kept at 0.05. RESULTS: Significant reduction in nicotine dependency, was seen in 64.36% of the study population (P < 0.0001). There was a shift from severely dependent group to moderately or low dependence group in 33% of the study occupants. CONCLUSION: Aging software intervention is contemporary, congenial, and admissible and can be espoused to educate youngsters along with the conventional motivational methods. This method successfully delivers smoking cessation advice to young adults. This novel approach can be implemented in motivating young smokers to quit smoking.