Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
Department of Medical Specialist, Motala, Sweden.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Jul 9;24(1):1824. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19273-4.
Digital smoking cessation interventions have been shown to be effective in helping individuals achieve prolonged smoking abstinence. Nonetheless, the mechanisms that drive such effects are unclear. The current study aimed to estimate a digital smoking cessation intervention's natural direct and indirect effects.
This secondary analysis of mediated effects uses data from a randomised controlled trial which included participants who smoked at least one cigarette a week, had access to a mobile phone, and were 18 years or older. The comparator was existing smoking cessation support available to all members of the Swedish public. Primary outcomes were prolonged smoking abstinence and point prevalence of smoking abstinence, measured at 3- and 6-months post-randomisation. A counterfactual framework was used to estimate three hypothesised mediators of the intervention's effects: importance, knowledge of how to change (know-how), and confidence.
Between 18/09/20 and 16/06/22, 1012 participants were randomised. The intervention led to improved confidence and know-how, which both partially mediated the effects of the digital intervention on smoking abstinence at 3- and 6 months post-randomisation.
A digital smoking cessation intervention was found to partially affect smoking abstinence by improving individuals' confidence in their ability to quit smoking and developing knowledge on how to quit. Face-value single-item mediator measures, lack of blinding, and attrition limit the study. Future studies should address these limitations and assess additional mechanisms mediating intervention effects.
ISRCTN13455271.
已证实数字戒烟干预措施有助于个人实现长期戒烟。然而，驱动这些效果的机制尚不清楚。本研究旨在估计数字戒烟干预措施的自然直接和间接效果。
本中介效应的二次分析使用了一项随机对照试验的数据，该试验纳入了每周至少吸一支烟、能够使用手机且年龄在 18 岁或以上的参与者。对照组为所有瑞典公众均可获得的现有戒烟支持。主要结局是 3 个月和 6 个月随机分组后的长期戒烟和吸烟点流行率。采用反事实框架来估计干预效果的三个假设中介因素：重要性、改变的知识（知道怎么做）和信心。
在 2022 年 9 月 18 日至 6 月 16 日期间，共有 1012 名参与者被随机分配。干预措施提高了信心和知识，这两者都部分中介了数字干预对 3 个月和 6 个月后戒烟的效果。
发现数字戒烟干预措施通过提高个人戒烟能力的信心和发展戒烟知识，对戒烟率产生部分影响。表面单一项目中介措施、缺乏盲法和失访限制了该研究。未来的研究应解决这些局限性，并评估干预效果的其他中介机制。
ISRCTN8556363。
