Impacto: A Spanish App to Help Quit Smoking Effectively

Researchers from the University of Houston have developed a Spanish-language Android app called Impacto to help Hispanic smokers quit smoking with guidance designed to reflect their cultural experiences. The pilot test results are published in the Journal of Substance Abuse & Addiction Treatment. It highlights that the app decreased daily smoking rates and improved smoking discontinuation.

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Why Hispanic Smokers Struggle to Quit

“Hispanic individuals face greater challenges to quit smoking and are at higher risk of smoking-related health problems than the general population,” reports Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy, and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, who created the app.

“These disparities are driven by factors like limited access to treatment and chronic stress from experiences such as racial and ethnic discrimination, making it even harder to quit smoking and overcome its harmful effects.” The project is co-led by Richard A. Brown from Health Behavior Solutions, Inc.

Impacto helps people quit smoking by addressing stress and anxiety that can make quitting harder. To support them through the process, the app focuses on how each person experiences anxiety, including physical symptoms and negative emotions.

In this pilot study, 30 Hispanic smokers tested the app. All participants reported long smoking careers given their average age of 31 years old (15+ years of daily smoking) and they smoked at a moderately high rate of 15 cigarettes per day.

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Simple Exercises to Ease Quitting

Users are guided through four lessons per week across eight weeks. In the first week, they learn interoceptive exercises – those that help them identify and become more aware of their body's state – to manage anxiety while quitting. The exercises include spinning in a chair, jumping jacks, or breathing fast to help them get used to sensations like a racing heartbeat, which reduces anxiety.

“Participants practice the interoceptive exercises daily and before their quit attempt,” said Zvolensky. “These exercises decrease emotional responsivity to bodily and emotional stress and make quitting easier. They must do it before quitting, much like a runner would have to practice running increasingly longer to eventually run a marathon.”

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Impacto App Shows Promise for Quitting Smoking

“Results indicated that Impacto had a positive impact on smoking abstinence with over half of the sample (65.4 %) reporting smoking abstinence 4 weeks post-quit,” Zvolensky said. “Moreover, rates of cigarettes smoked per day and anxiety sensitivity levels significantly decreased from baseline through 4 weeks post-quit. High rates of feasibility, acceptability, and engagement were also observed.”

The app will now be evaluated in a rigorous randomized control clinical trial throughout the United States. Additional collaborators on the pilot test include The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; The University of Texas at Austin; and Bristol Myers Squibb.



Source-Eurekalert