Mobile Health Technology for Personalized Tobacco Cessation Support in Laos

Provision of nicotine replacement medications in the form of transdermal patches is important to address nicotine withdrawal/craving for smokers who want to quit. Evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of NRT is vast. The PHS Guideline indicates that use of NRT doubles quit rates and should be considered the minimal standard care. Therefore, we will provide NRT to all participants in both groups in the early cessation phase.

"The self-help materials were developed by NTCC in Lao, based on the World Health Organization's A guide for tobacco users to quit."

The automated treatment(AT) include text messages, images, and videos. The AT content is designed to tap the theoretical mechanisms described in the Phase-Based Model (PBM). That is, treatment content is designed to increase motivation, self-efficacy, use of coping skills, and social support, while reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms and stress. The AT will begin immediately after enrollment and continue for a 26-week period. The AT approach allows for several levels of personalization for each participant, including tailoring to participants' specific health conditions, individual cessation phases, and participants' self-efficacy level or smoking status in the past week.