Summary: | Introduction
While promising evidence from trials of social-media-based stop
smoking support informs service-planning, there is a need for more prospective,
observational studies of smoking cessation interventions to build ‘real-world’
evidence. Specifically, user experiences have been under-explored with qualitative
methods to date. This mixed-method evaluation of a closed Facebook group-based
behavioral stop smoking support program, which was conducted in Ireland in 2018,
aimed to address these issues.
Methods
Pre- and post-program surveys measured smoking abstinence (selfreported
7-day point prevalence), changes in smoking attitudes and behavior,
and participant experiences. Engagement with Facebook was measured through
counting ‘likes’ and comments, and was used to categorize groups as ‘more active’
and ‘less active’ over a 12-week period of support. Thematic content analysis of
semi-structured participant interviews explored program experience in depth.
Results
In total, 13 of 52 participants reported smoking abstinence post-program
(25.0%, 95% CI: 14.0–39.0). Participant engagement with Facebook was variable
and decreased over the program. Membership of a ‘more active’ group was
associated with better reported participant experience (e.g. 90.9% agreeing
‘Facebook group helped me to quit or reduce smoking’, versus 33.3% in the ‘less
active’ group, p<0.05). Qualitative analysis identified three over-arching themes:
importance of social interactions; perception of health information; and appeal of
online support.
Conclusions
Facebook can be used to deliver group-based behavioral stop smoking
support in the real world. In Ireland, the one-month post-program abstinence
outcomes achieved by other stop smoking services is approximately 50%, and
while the outcomes for this service was lower (25%), it is still better than outcomes
estimated for unassisted quitting. Engagement and peer-to-peer interactivity
should be maximized to support positive participant experience.
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