Effectiveness of mHealth intervention in tobacco users: a quasi-experimental study

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile health intervention delivered through weekly WhatsApp messages for adult tobacco users living in an urban resettlement colony in Delhi. Tobacco use is a major public health issue in India and there is limited community level evidence on the usefulness of mobile based support for tobacco cessation. This quasi experimental study has two groups an intervention group and a control group. All participants will receive brief behaviour change counselling at baseline. The intervention group will receive weekly WhatsApp messages related to tobacco de addiction health information and motivation while the control group will receive weekly messages on general health topics that are not related to tobacco. The primary outcome is the change in quantity and frequency of tobacco use after twelve to fourteen weeks. Secondary outcomes include change in nicotine dependence scores and the sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with tobacco use. The study will include adult tobacco users who are residents of Gokalpuri and have access to a mobile phone. Data will be collected at baseline and again at twelve to fourteen weeks to assess changes in tobacco use and dependence. The findings may help in planning community based mobile health interventions for tobacco cessation in resource limited settings.