The Development of a Context Aware Smoking Cessation app (QSense)

Abstract

Background: Context aware smartphone apps for behaviour change have become a reality due to a rapidly growing smartphone market and the presence of sensors on smartphones as standard. Aim: to describe the development of a novel smartphone sensing smoking cessation app (QSense). Methods: The development of QSense has been informed by: a) a sparse literature on how smokers’ cravings are cued by contextual triggers, b) the tailored message libraries from two theory-guided tailored SMS text message support systems for smoking cessation (MiQuit and iQuit), c) early piloting work, d) a qualitative study using data assisted interviews of smokers who have tested out the app. Findings: This system has been designed to deliver real-time behavioural support triggered by a smoker’s proximity to a pre-identified high risk location for a cue-induced craving episode. However, there are many challenges to developing context-aware eHealth behaviour change interventions to avoid user disengagement. Discussion: New clinical and theoretical insight is required to inform the next generation of digital interventions which promise context awareness.