Dr. Lorien C. Abroms, associate professor of prevention and community health at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University (Milken Institute SPH), served as lead author on a recent report that found that more than 11 percent of smokers who used a text-messaging program to help them quit did so and remained smoke free at the end of a six month study as compared to just 5 percent of controls.

Text-messaging programs, like Text2Quit, work by sending advice, reminders, and tips that help smokers resist the craving for a cigarette and stick to a quit date. Dr. Abroms and her colleagues carried out a large randomized trial of a text-messaging program, recruiting 503 smokers on the internet and randomized them to receive either the text-messaging program Text2Quit or self-help material aimed at getting smokers to quit.

“Text messages seem to give smokers the constant reminders they need to stay focused on quitting,” says Dr. Abroms. “However, additional studies must be done to confirm this result and look at how these programs work when coupled with other established anti-smoking therapies.”

Read more on the GW website.