scholarly journals Investigating the Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Quit of Smokers Trying to Quit: An Evaluation of Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita B Rajani ◽  
Nikolaos Mastellos ◽  
Filippos T Filippidis

BACKGROUND Falling trends in the number of individuals accessing face-to-face support leaves a significant gap in treatment options for smokers seeking to quit. Face-to-face behavioural support interventions try to target the self-efficacy and motivation to quit of smokers, as these factors are associated with increased likelihood of making quit attempts and successfully quitting. OBJECTIVE Our study aims to better understand smoking cessation mobile applications by investigating if they can impact smokers’ self-efficacy and motivation to quit. Our aim is to evaluate self-efficacy and motivation to quit levels of smokers before and after the usage of smoking cessation mobile apps. METHODS Smokers seeking to quit were recruited to participate in a four-week online study. After screening, eligible participants were assigned to a mobile application (Kwit or Quit Genius). The smoking self-efficacy questionnaire and the motivation to stop smoking scale were used to measure self-efficacy and motivation to quit respectively. Both were assessed at baseline, mid-study (2 weeks) and end-study (4 weeks). Paired sample t-tests investigated differences between study timepoints, and linear regression models investigated associations with change in self-efficacy and motivation to quit between baseline and end-study. RESULTS 116 participants completed the study, with the majority being male (61%), highly employed (66%) and highly educated (75%). A large proportion of participants had low-moderate dependence on nicotine (92%). A statistically significant increase of 5.09 points (95%CI: 1.83 to 8.34) from 37.38 points at baseline in self-efficacy was found at end-study. Similarly, a statistically significant increase of 0.38 points (95%CI: 0.06 to 0.70) from 5.94 points at baseline in motivation to quit was found at end-study. Gender, age and nicotine dependence were not statistically significantly associated with change in self-efficacy and motivation to quit. CONCLUSIONS The assessed mobile apps positively impacted the self-efficacy and motivation to quit of smokers making quit attempts. This has important implications on possible future use of digitalised interventions. However, further research is needed to assess whether digital interventions could supplement or replace traditional forms of therapy.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita B Rajani ◽  
Nikolaos Mastellos ◽  
Filippos T Filippidis

BACKGROUND Both the number of smokers making quit attempts and the number of smokers successfully quitting has been falling over the past years. Past studies have shown that smokers with high self-efficacy and motivation to quit have an increased likelihood of quitting and staying quit. Consequently, further research on strategies which can improve the self-efficacy and motivation of smokers seeking to quit could lead to substantially higher cessation rates. Some studies have found that gamification can positively impact cognitive components of behavioural change, including self-efficacy and motivation. However, the impact of gamification in the context of smoking cessation and mobile health has been sparsely investigated. OBJECTIVE The study aims to examine the association between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and frequency of use of gamification features embedded in smoking cessation apps on the self-efficacy and motivation to quit of smokers. METHODS Participants were assigned to use one of two mobile apps for a duration of four weeks. Online questionnaires were provided to participants before app usage, two weeks after and four weeks after they started using the app. Gamification was quantitatively operationalized based on Cugelman’s gamification framework and concepts from the technology acceptance model. Mean values of perceived frequency, ease of use and usefulness of gamification features were calculated at mid-study and end-study. Two linear regression models were performed to investigate the impact of gamification on self-efficacy and motivation to quit. RESULTS 116 participants completed the study. Mean self-efficacy increased from 37.38 to 42.47 points and motivation to quit increased from 5.94 to 6.32 points after app usage. “Goal setting” was perceived to be the most useful gamification feature whilst “sharing” was perceived to be the least useful. Participants self-reported that they used the progress dashboards the most often whilst the sharing feature the least often. Average perceived frequency of gamification features was statistically significantly associated with change in self-efficacy (β=3.35, 95% CI: 0.31 to 6.40) and change in motivation to quit (β=0.54, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.94) between baseline and end-study. CONCLUSIONS Gamification embedded into mobile apps can have positive effects on the self-efficacy and motivation to quit of smokers. The findings of the study can provide important insights for tobacco control policy makers, mobile app developers and smokers seeking to quit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Jyothi Thalluri ◽  
Joy Penman ◽  
Minh Chau

The ScienceReady preparatory course is an intensive study designed to improve beginning university undergraduate students’ understanding of medical/scientific concepts, and reduce their anxiety about studying the science component of their enrolled programs. Its goals are to stimulate students’ science curiosity and provide the fundamental scientific content they are expected to know and build further on the knowledge that will feature in their upcoming programs. This article aims to describe the ScienceReady course, discuss the impact of the course on the participants, determine the relationship of the course with self-efficacy, and explain the implications of the results. Students were tested before and after the course to ascertain whether it increased or decreased or not affected self-efficacy. The results of the pre- and post-test surveys were unequivocal. The majority of the individual items for the self-efficacy questionnaire showed a significant increase in self-efficacy post-course.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuntaro Aoki ◽  
Yayoi Shikama ◽  
Kiyotaka Yasui ◽  
Yoko Moroi ◽  
Nobuo Sakamoto ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Self-efficacy is crucial in improving medical student communication skills. This study aims to clarify whether the self-efficacy of medical students conducting medical interviews increased after simulated interviews or after feedback discussions. Methods A total of 162 medical students (109 men, 53 women) in their fourth or fifth year at a university in Japan participated in this study. The degree of self-efficacy in medical interviewing was measured before and after a medical interview with a simulated patient, and after the subsequent feedback session. Results ANOVA analysis revealed that self-efficacy for medical interviews was higher after both the interview and the feedback session than before the interview. Self-efficacy was highest after the feedback session among all three time points. Conclusions Feedback following a simulated interview with a simulated patient is important to improve the self-efficacy of medical students learning medical interviewing skills.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-184
Author(s):  
Ernani Setyawati

Background:Breastfeeding is not always easy. Mother should have high confidence to breastfeed the infant to get positive response in facing difficulties of breastfeeding. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the methods of self-care and home visit as the efforts to increase mothers’ brestfeeding self- efficacy. Methods: A comparative analytical study using quasy experimental design including 23 subject selected in the home visit group and 23  subjects in the self-care group by using consecutive sampling technique was taken place in  two hospital at Balikpapan, Indonesia. The data were then analyzed by using Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney test. Results: The results  showed that mothers’ breastfeeding self-efficacy score before treatment in both groups ( self care =65.52; home visit =63.65) while self-efficacy score after treatment in both groups ( self care =73.39; home visit =74.91). The self-efficacy score in self care groups before and after treatment (ZW = 5.317, p>.05) in home visit groups were Zw=3.564 (p>.05). Mothers’ breastfeeding self-efficacy score in home visit and self care groups before treatment was ZMW = .231 (p>.05). as compared to self-efficacy score in home visit and self care groups after treatment  was ZMW = .793 (p>.05). Conclusion: The study showed that home visit method and self-care method are equally good in increasing mothers’ self-efficacy.                                                                                               Keywords: breastfeeding, home visit, self-efficacy, self care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105-112

INTRODUCTION: Today, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is highly important to save the lives of people in need of CPR by those present at the scene, and it is useful to study new training tools in this field. This study aimed to determine and compare the effect of basic CPR face-to-face and electronic training on the self-efficacy of high school students. METHODS: This randomized controlled field trial study was conducted on second-grade high school students in Tabas, Iran, referring to high schools by an announced call. The samples (n=62) were randomly selected and divided into two groups of e-learning and face-to-face training (n=31 each). Both groups completed the Basic Resuscitation Skills Self-Efficacy Scale at the baseline and 1 week and 2 months after the training intervention. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) using statistical measures of mean and standard deviation and statistical tests of t-test, Chi-square, and repeated measures analysis of variance. FINDINGS: The results showed that both e-learning and face-to-face training methods significantly increased the self-efficacy of high school students in CPR in 1 week and 2 months after training. In addition, a significant difference was observed between the two methods regarding the mean score of basic CPR self-efficacy 1 week after the intervention (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the benefits of e-learning on students' CPR learning, this method should be used seriously for basic CPR self-efficacy training.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Bruno ◽  
Marcia Wright ◽  
Christine L Baker ◽  
Birol Emir ◽  
Eric Carda ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States. Smoking cessation is challenging for many patients. Regardless of available treatment options, most quit attempts are unaided, and it takes multiple attempts before a patient is successful. With the ever-increasing use of smartphones, mobile apps hold promise in supporting cessation efforts. This study evaluates the ease of use and user satisfaction with the Pfizer Meds app to support smoking cessation among patients prescribed varenicline (Chantix). OBJECTIVE Study participants included varenicline users who downloaded and used the app on their personal smartphone. The main objectives were to report mobile app download frequency and usage details and to describe the participant-reported satisfaction with and usefulness of the app over the 14-week follow-up study period. METHODS Adults aged 18 years or older who had been prescribed varenicline were identified from the Express Scripts Incorporated pharmacy claims database. After meeting privacy restrictions, subjects were sent an invitation letter and second reminder letter with instructions on how to download the Pfizer Meds mobile app. Participants received a push notification to complete a smartphone-enabled survey regarding the utility of the app 12 weeks after downloading the app. Descriptive statistics summarized sociodemographics, use of varenicline, and details of use and satisfaction with the mobile app. RESULTS Of the 38,129 varenicline users who were sent invitation letters, 1281 participants (3.35%) downloaded the Pfizer Meds app. Of the 1032 users with demographic and other data, 585 (56.68%) were females, and 446 (43.22%) were males; mean age was 46.4 years (SD 10.8). The mean number of app sessions per participant was 4.0 (SD 6.8). The end-of-study survey was completed by 131 survey respondents (10.23%, 131/1281); a large number of participants (117/131, 89.3%) reported being extremely, very, or moderately satisfied with the app. A total of 97 survey respondents (97/131, 74.0%) reported setting up a quit date in the app. Of those, 74 (74/97, 76%) reported quitting on their quit date. CONCLUSIONS Positive patient engagement was observed in this study based on app download and usage. This study quantified how the Pfizer Meds app performed in an observational real-world data setting. The findings demonstrate the willingness of participants to set a quit date and use the app for support in medication adherence, refill reminders, and information regarding how to take the medication. This study provides real-world evidence of the contribution apps can make to the continued encouragement of smokers to improve their health by smoking cessation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-298
Author(s):  
John Napolitano

Self-efficacy is an extensively studied, yet underutilized, indicator of the effectiveness of current education, the measurement of which could contribute to planning the direction of future education. An efficacy expectation is the conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce the outcomes (Bandura, 1977). This article presents the results of a study that compared the self-reported self-efficacy of newly hired nurses before and after a nurse residency program.


2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Emmons ◽  
Rita M. Butterfield ◽  
Elaine Puleo ◽  
Elyse R. Park ◽  
Ann Mertens ◽  
...  

Purpose: This article describes baseline data collection and the intervention design of Partnership for Health, a smoking cessation intervention for smokers in the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study. The purpose of this article is to evaluate demographic, psychosocial, and cancer-related factors that are associated with smoking behavior and mediators of smoking cessation. Patients and Methods: This study includes 796 smokers from the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study database who were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21, had survived at least 5 years, and were at least 18 years of age at the time of the baseline survey. Correlates of smoking behaviors included smoking rate, number of recent quit attempts, and nicotine dependence; two key mediators of smoking cessation, readiness to quit smoking and self-efficacy, were also assessed. Results: Participants smoked, on average, 14 cigarettes/day; 53.2% were nicotine dependent, and 58% had made at least one quit attempt in the past year. Smoking behaviors were primarily associated with demographic variables; mediators of cessation were primarily associated with age at cancer diagnosis and perceived vulnerability to smoking-related illnesses. Severity of psychologic symptoms was associated with increased smoking rate, high nicotine dependence, and low self-efficacy. Support for quitting was related to smoking rate, number of quit attempts, readiness to quit smoking, and self-efficacy. Conclusion: These findings indicate that many cancer survivors who smoke are receptive to smoking cessation interventions. Factors related to mediators of smoking cessation might be particularly good targets for intervention.


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