Chatbots for Smoking Cessation: Scoping Review.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Whittaker
R, Dobson R, Garner K.
Chatbots for Smoking
Cessation: Scoping Review.
J Med Internet Res.
2022;24(9):e35556. Published 2022 Sep 26. doi:10.2196/35556
Background. Despite
significant progress in reducing tobacco use over the past 2 decades, tobacco
still kills over 8 million people every year. Digital interventions, such as
text messaging, have been found to help people quit smoking. Chatbots, or
conversational agents, are new digital tools that mimic instantaneous human
conversation and therefore could extend the effectiveness of text messaging.
Objective. This
scoping review aims to assess the extent of research in the chatbot literature
for smoking cessation and provide recommendations for future research in this
area.
Methods. Relevant
studies were identified through searches conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, APA
PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Scopus, as well as additional searches on JMIR,
Cochrane Library, Lancet Digital Health, and Digital Medicine. Studies were
considered if they were conducted with tobacco smokers, were conducted between
2000 and 2021, were available in English, and included a chatbot intervention.
Results. Of
323 studies identified, 10 studies were included in the review (3 framework
articles, 1 study protocol, 2 pilot studies, 2 trials, and 2 randomized
controlled trials). Most studies noted some benefits related to smoking
cessation and participant engagement; however, outcome measures varied
considerably. The quality of the studies overall was low, with methodological
issues and low follow-up rates.
Conclusions. More
research is needed to make a firm conclusion about the efficacy of chatbots for
smoking cessation. Researchers need to provide more in-depth descriptions of
chatbot functionality, mode of delivery, and theoretical underpinnings.
Consistency in language and terminology would also assist in reviews of what
approaches work across the field.
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