It has long been known that support from others, whether family members or colleagues, is a crucial element for many who are trying to break an addictive pattern. In fact, as the Alcoholics Anonymous model has set the standard for many decades, the idea of ongoing peer encouragement is considered a cornerstone for programmes of all stripes as well as businesses like Weight Watchers.
A creative new experiment using mobile phone text messages suggest that more powerful and effective applications of this old fashioned idea may soon be in wide use. A simple programme of text messaging to young smokers who are quitting has proved to be effective in ways that could hardly have been predicted. Text messages not only raised the success rate of those trying to quit but doubled the percentage.
The Editor of Tobacco Control, which published the New Zealand Study, admitted he was surprised by the findings. ‘It’s an extraordinarily interesting development,’ said Simon Chapman ‘There’s something about text messaging that seems to have got through to young people.’
This is indeed newsworthy: the study is particularly significant as almost a third of young people in the developed world smoke and have been remarkably resistant to cessation programmes. The leader of the trial, University of Auckland researcher Anthony Rodgers, suggested that the success of this programme is likely to encourage many others promoting public health: ‘There’s huge potential for blood pressure management, for depression and for nutritional advice for weight control.’
Source: Tobacco Control