Voxiva — the company which helped launch Text4Baby — is going for the U.S. smokers. Their new service, called Text2Quit, is developed with The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services to help smokers quit. Using a combination of SMS, email and web support – the new service delivers customized educational content based on the user’s own quit date.
For instance, it enables users to complete surveys to receive advice, play games to fight off cravings, select the best possible prescription (or OTC therapies) as cessation aids, while at the same time collecting data to monitor user’s achievement towards their own goals.
According to Dr. Lorien Abroms who was a lead designer behind Text2Quit, text-based smoking cessation programs have resulted in an approximate doubling of abstinence rates.
Voxiva’s new service will be available through employers, health plans, and public health departments, and can be incorporated into existing wellness initiatives. Because it works through any mobile phone via text message, Text2Quit can reach almost all of the U.S. population.
Looking ahead, Dr. Abroms and Voxiva will develop additional smoking cessation resources such as Quit4Baby, which will target pregnant women who smoke.