Researchers found that subjects in smoking cessation programmes had much higher rate of success when exposed to social media messages.
![Social Messaging Help Out in Smoking Cessation Programmes Social Messaging Help Out in Smoking Cessation Programmes](https://images.medindia.net/health-images/1200_1000/smoking-2.jpg)
Tweet2Quit's two closed 20-person groups communicated online via Twitter for 100 days. Participants each received a free supply of nicotine patches, along with daily-automated text messages. They were encouraged to use a web-based guide to develop a cessation plan and were asked to tweet their group at least once a day about their progress.
Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing at UCI's Paul Merage School of Business said, "Our results indicate that incorporating social media-delivered auto-messages from trained counsellors was effective in promoting smoking cessation. The twice-daily messages encouraged people to tweet their group members, which made them more accountable for quitting."
The daily auto-messages sent, at 9am and 5pm encouraged and directed peer-to-peer discussions, and distinct tweeting spikes.
"The Twitter environment created a sort of party dynamic. That's especially important for social smokers. In addition, group leaders naturally emerged, facilitating the online conversations. These leaders played a critical role in keeping people engaged," Pechmann said.
Most of the tweets were positively related to smoking abstinence like, setting a quit date, using nicotine patches, countering roadblocks, utilizing self-rewards, believing in themselves and feeling pride and they were more likely to remain smoke-free.
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Source-Medindia