Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Want to quit smoking? Turn to texting

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Jun, 2014 03:38 PM
    Interactive and persuasive text messages received on your phone can motivate you to kick the butt, says a new study which found that more than 11 percent of smokers who used a text-messaging programme to help them quit did so.
     
    The subjects remained smoke-free at the end of a six-month study as compared to just five percent of controls, according to researchers at George Washington University.
     
    "Text messages seem to give smokers the constant reminders they need to stay focused on quitting," said Lorien C. Abroms, lead author of the study.
     
    Text-messaging programmes, like "Text2Quit" work by sending advice, reminders and tips that help smokers resist the craving for a cigarette and stick to a quit date.
     
    More than 75,000 people in the United States have enrolled in the "Text2Quit" programme and enrollment is on the rise.
     
    Abroms and her colleagues recruited 503 smokers on the internet and randomised them to receive either a text-messaging programme called "Text2Quit" or self-help material aimed at getting smokers to quit.
     
    The text messages in the "Text2Quit" programme are interactive and give smokers advice but they also allow participants to ask for more help or to reset a quit date if they need more time.
     
    Smokers who have trouble fighting off an urge can text in and get a tip or a game that might help distract them until the craving goes away, Abroms said.
     
    At the end of six months, the researchers found that people using the text-messaging programme had a much higher likelihood of quitting compared to the control group.
     
    The text-messaging programmes can provide an important boost for people struggling with a tobacco habit, the study concluded.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Want to live long? Aim big in life

    Want to live long? Aim big in life
    Some may call you crazy if you reveal your lofty dreams and what you want to achieve in your life, but sooner you find a purpose in life, greater are your chances of living longer.

    Want to live long? Aim big in life

    Living heart tissue grown

    Living heart tissue grown
    In a first, scientists have merged stem cell and 'organ-on-a-chip' technologies to grow functioning human heart tissue carrying an inherited cardiovascular disease.

    Living heart tissue grown

    Insects in the frying pan! Take a bite

    Insects in the frying pan! Take a bite
    Ever fancied eating insects for lunch? A whole lot of people in the world, especially the impoverished parts, do it. Now it is your turn.

    Insects in the frying pan! Take a bite

    How your immune system can fight back cancer

    How your immune system can fight back cancer
    In a groundbreaking treatment, researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the US have harnessed a female patient's own immune system to fight cancer.

    How your immune system can fight back cancer

    Certainty on sea levels rise by 2030: Scientists

    Certainty on sea levels rise by 2030: Scientists
    The burning question whether sea level rise is accelerating can only be answered with a degree of certainty by 2030, an international team of scientists has claimed.

    Certainty on sea levels rise by 2030: Scientists

    Genes decide if medicine will work for you or not

    Genes decide if medicine will work for you or not
    Ever wondered why a particular medicine is effective for certain people but not for others? That is largely decided by genes, research reveals.

    Genes decide if medicine will work for you or not