Smoking and the mobile phone

With the approach of No Smoking Day on March 10 (2010) I had been thinking about how people wanting to stop smoking could value extra motivation when I spotted an account of recent US research testing the use of a mobile telephone community network to help people eat more healthily.

People are invited to join the system to share practical ideas for healthier eating by leaving voice messages on their phones. The philosophy is that people working together can encourage one another with their stories of how they are making healthier food choices in restaurants and shops, at meal and snack times and through shared recipes.

The research, currently at a pilot stage, is being conducted among people on low incomes. The decision was made to create the system on a mobile phone network as these devices are owned by most people from all socioeconomic groups.

The researcher also decided to use voice messaging rather than text on the basis that people could leave messages faster that way than by typing in text. People engaged readily, partly because they felt a sense of community and partly because the use of voice messages meant they could hear the emotion in other people’s voices when they tried out a new recipe or sampled a healthier item at the takeaway.

The traditional healthcare approach of individual counselling in relation to healthier eating and stopping smoking can be effective but may require substantial resources. A combination of educational, behavioural and motivational strategies is often required to help people achieve lifestyle change.

Information transfer alone is not always successful and an approach where people take more control, as in a mobile phone network, could offer scope for pharmacists to work in partnership to facilitate behaviour change strategies in relation to a number of health-related behaviours, including smoking and diet.