Abroms, a health professor at the George Washington University, created Text2Quit, a text messaging service designed help people quit smoking. The program is offered through the various health care providers and next year will be available for free by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. How did the service get started?
It actually started with email. I developed the idea of sending people emails that would counsel them through the process of quitting smoking, and it took me over three years to get that grant funded. By the time it was funded, I looked around the world and it was really a different place where email seemed pass? because people were starting to text more and more, and that seemed like a better way of reaching people.
What kind of messages do you send to people?
It provides advice and tips on how to get ready to quit smoking before your quit date, and it reminds you what your quit date is. After that date, it helps you along and gives you advice about how to stay quit. It’s interactive, and constantly asking questions of people and how they’re doing, then giving them appropriate advice.
What else makes the service interactive?
We also have different keywords people can text in if they need more help than they’re getting. If somebody’s having a craving and they’re not getting any help at that moment, they can text us the word “craze” and get help and tips, or we give them a game they can play through their text messaging service.
How successful has the program been?
We developed it in 2009. Since that we’ve done two different kinds of pilot tests. One was with G.W. undergrads. We found that students liked it. On average, they sent in 12 different keywords a month, and they were reading our texts at a high rate. It was encouraging that people were following the program even after the first month.
— Ben Giles
