Jacobs Megan A, Cobb Caroline O, Abroms Lorien, Graham Amanda L
Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies, Legacy, Washington, DC, United States.
J Med Internet Res. 2014 Sep 9;16(9):e205. doi: 10.2196/jmir.3491.
Facebook is the most popular social network site, with over 1 billion users globally. There are millions of apps available within Facebook, many of which address health and health behavior change. Facebook may represent a promising channel to reach smokers with cessation interventions via apps. To date, there have been no published reports about Facebook apps for smoking cessation.
The purpose of this study was to review the features and functionality of Facebook apps for smoking cessation and to determine the extent to which they adhere to evidence-based guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment.
In August 2013, we searched Facebook and three top Internet search engines using smoking cessation keywords to identify relevant Facebook apps. Resultant apps were screened for eligibility (smoking cessation-related, English language, and functioning). Eligible apps were reviewed by 2 independent coders using a standardized coding scheme. Coding included content features (interactive, informational, and social) and adherence to an established 20-item index (possible score 0-40) derived from the US Public Health Service's Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence.
We screened 22 apps for eligibility; of these, 12 underwent full coding. Only 9 apps were available on Facebook. Facebook apps fell into three broad categories: public pledge to quit (n=3), quit-date-based calculator/tracker (n=4), or a multicomponent quit smoking program (n=2). All apps incorporated interactive, informational, and social features except for two quit-date-based calculator/trackers apps (lacked informational component). All apps allowed app-related posting within Facebook (ie, on self/other Facebook profile), and four had a within-app "community" feature to enable app users to communicate with each other. Adherence index summary scores among Facebook apps were low overall (mean 15.1, SD 7.8, range 7-30), with multicomponent apps scoring the highest.
There are few smoking cessation apps available within Facebook. Among those available, adherence to cessation treatment guidelines was low. Smoking cessation interventions provided via the Facebook platform are a unique and as yet untapped treatment strategy that can harness existing social support and social networks for quitting. Research is needed to examine whether apps that adhere to clinical practice guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment are more effective in promoting cessation than those that do not.
脸书是最受欢迎的社交网站，全球用户超过10亿。脸书内有数以百万计的应用程序，其中许多涉及健康及健康行为改变。脸书可能是通过应用程序向吸烟者提供戒烟干预措施的一个有前景的渠道。迄今为止，尚无关于脸书戒烟应用程序的已发表报告。
本研究的目的是回顾脸书戒烟应用程序的特点和功能，并确定它们遵循烟草依赖治疗循证指南的程度。
2013年8月，我们使用戒烟关键词在脸书和三大互联网搜索引擎上进行搜索，以识别相关的脸书应用程序。对搜索到的应用程序进行资格筛选（与戒烟相关、英语且能正常运行）。符合条件的应用程序由2名独立编码员使用标准化编码方案进行审查。编码包括内容特征（互动性、信息性和社交性）以及对源自美国公共卫生服务局《治疗烟草使用和依赖临床实践指南》的既定20项指标的遵循情况（可能得分0 - 40）。
我们筛选了22个应用程序以确定其是否符合条件；其中12个进行了全面编码。脸书上仅有9个应用程序可用。脸书应用程序分为三大类：公开承诺戒烟（3个）、基于戒烟日期的计算器/追踪器（4个）或多成分戒烟计划（2个）。除了两个基于戒烟日期的计算器/追踪器应用程序（缺少信息成分）外，所有应用程序都包含互动性、信息性和社交性特征。所有应用程序都允许在脸书内发布与应用相关的内容（即发布在自己或他人的脸书资料上），并且有4个应用程序具有应用内“社区”功能，以使应用程序用户能够相互交流。脸书应用程序的依从性指数总分总体较低（平均15.1，标准差7.8，范围7 - 30），多成分应用程序得分最高。
脸书内可用的戒烟应用程序很少。在这些可用的应用程序中，对戒烟治疗指南的遵循程度较低。通过脸书平台提供的戒烟干预措施是一种独特且尚未开发的治疗策略，它可以利用现有的社会支持和社交网络来帮助戒烟。需要进行研究以检验遵循烟草依赖治疗临床实践指南的应用程序在促进戒烟方面是否比不遵循的应用程序更有效。
