How Mobile Phones Can Help People Quit Smoking

**Islamabad (Qudrat Daily):** A new study has revealed that mobile phones can play an important role in helping people quit smoking, particularly patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB), leading to faster recovery.

According to the research, motivational text messages were sent to TB patients to assess whether mobile-based support could help them stop smoking. The findings, published in the medical journal *JAMA*, showed that patients who received a higher number of supportive messages were more successful in quitting smoking for up to six months compared to those who were given limited written information.

The lead researcher said it is already well established that TB patients who quit smoking recover more quickly. Therefore, experts aimed to determine whether regular mobile phone messages could effectively help patients give up tobacco use.

The study was conducted on 1,080 TB patients in Bangladesh and Pakistan who were mobile phone users. Out of them, 720 patients received smoking cessation text messages—daily messages during the first two months followed by weekly messages for the next four months. The remaining 360 patients were provided only with written information about quitting smoking.

Results showed that 41 percent of patients who received text messages successfully quit smoking for at least six months.

Experts believe that mobile phone–based health awareness and motivational messaging can be a cost-effective and efficient tool, especially in developing countries, to support smoking cessation and improve public health outcomes.