How Mass Messaging Can Stop Smoking During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Smoking has long been recognized as a severe public health hazard, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, its dangers are becoming increasingly pronounced. Smoking causes serious health problems, and about 480,000 deaths from smoking-related health conditions occur every year in the US alone. Now that the novel coronavirus has spread across the world, smoking has become even riskier, as COVID-19 can cause respiratory illness. This risk increases if someone infected with COVID-19 is a smoker. Even before the current pandemic began, anti-smoking campaigns have been going on for years, with the current focus being on stopping smoking by youth. However, it is notoriously hard for many people to stop smoking, due in large part to an addiction to the nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Many smokers who have attempted to quit end up continuing to smoke, often after or during a period of trying to stop. Because of this, new methods of support during the period of cessation are being attempted, including the use of text and social media messaging.
According to a study carried out on young adults in South Texas, text messaging can cause a significant difference in the success rate of smokers who attempt to quit. The study measured the success of an SMS and mobile media communication system in getting young adults to stop smoking—the system operated by sending text messages to participants at scheduled intervals as well as social media posts and question prompts. The communications often contained reassurances or links to videos and other resources that those in the program could use to help them reach their goal. Overall, the use of a mass messaging system increased the odds that a smoker would stop smoking by 7%.
Using a mass messaging system is not only effective at helping smokers quit, but it is also more cost-efficient and capable of reaching more people. A mass messaging service, like the TexTalk platform, can connect to a much larger group of people in need than other smoking cessation services, like those based on telephone conversations. As mobile devices have become ubiquitous, especially among youth, it is much easier for a platform that uses texts and other forms of messaging to reach broad segments of the population, allowing support to be given to groups underserved by traditional smoking cessation services.
Mass messaging has also been shown to be cheap, in the study, it was found that using text messaging over six months had a cost of $740, which is much lower than the price of using telephone counseling, which is roughly $1,300 for six months. However, the cost of using mass messaging, either to help people stop smoking or for other purposes, depends on the platform used. In the study, the development of the platform took $40,000, and the average cost per person includes this sum. The total cost of the actual messaging for the nearly 1,000 participants for the duration of the study was only $1,359. Using a platform that has already been created and works well, like TexTalk, significantly lowers the cost per participant. The TexTalk platform offers great mass messaging capabilities, like the ability to send emails, texts, pictures, and more.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, increasing attention has been given to improving public health, including efforts to curb smoking. While smoking is always harmful, its effects are multiplied when combined with the possibility of infection by a respiratory illness. Smokers are more likely to suffer severe illness when exposed to COVID-19, making helping smokers quit an essential public health priority. After all, when someone becomes seriously ill and is hospitalized, they are not the only ones who are affected, the bed they take is one less that can be offered to other patients. Discouraging risky behavior during a pandemic is of vital importance, and local governments and organizations should make use of mass messaging to help ensure better public health for all.
References:
Ramirez, A. G., Chalela, P., Akopian, D., Munoz, E., Gallion, K. J., Despres, C., Morales, J., Escobar, R., & McAlister, A. L. (2017). Text and Mobile Media Smoking Cessation Service for Young Adults in South Texas: Operation and Cost-Effectiveness Estimation. Health Promotion Practice, 18(4), 581–585. https://doi-org.roanoke.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1524839917705130