Impact of a Virtual Community on Smokefree.gov
Author Information
Author(s): Gunther Eysenbach, Norman Cameron, Gordon Judith Stoddard, Jacqueline L PhD, Erik M Augustson, Moser Richard P PhD
Primary Institution: National Cancer Institute
Hypothesis
Does adding a virtual community to a smoking cessation website increase user satisfaction and smoking cessation rates?
Conclusion
The addition of a bulletin board did not significantly impact quit rates, but users spent more time on the website with the bulletin board feature.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants in the bulletin board condition spent significantly more time on the website than those in the usual care condition.
- Satisfaction with the website was high across both conditions, with no significant difference.
- Quit rates were similar to other web-assisted tobacco interventions.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether adding a chat room to a smoking help website would help people quit smoking. It found that while people liked the website, the chat room wasn't used much and didn't help them quit more.
Methodology
Participants were randomly assigned to either a bulletin board condition or a usual care condition and assessed for website use, satisfaction, and smoking behavior changes.
Potential Biases
Potential contamination between conditions and reliance on self-reported data may introduce bias.
Limitations
The study's population was limited to federal employees, which may not represent the general smoking population, and there was high attrition.
Participant Demographics
{"gender":"53.9% female","average_age":43.6,"education":{"high_school_or_less":"12.9%","some_college":"49.2%","college_graduate":"24.0%","post_graduate":"13.9%"},"ethnicity":{"non_hispanic_white":"69.1%","non_hispanic_black":"16.9%","hispanic":"7.0%"}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
P = .01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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