Maxwell Angel
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Amy Pienta
Research Mentor School/College/Department: ICPSR/ISR / Other
Program:
Authors: Max Angel, Nicole Beeman, Joy Jang, Amy Pienta
Session: Session 1: 9:00 am – 9:50 am
Poster: 84
Abstract
Much research has been conducted on clinical and behavioral interventions for cessation of tobacco/nicotine usage. Still, little research has been done on a growing method for nicotine usage cessation: smartphone apps. This study examines whether using a smartphone app is a popular and effective option for cessation. Specifically this study will provide new information on the use of smartphone apps for the cessation of electronic nicotine product (ENP) usage. It will provide new knowledge about the use of one method of ENP cessation that will be valuable within the field of nicotine addiction treatment. This study will analyze the public-use data files from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. The PATH Study is a longitudinal cohort study, beginning in 2013, that interviews 32,000 adults and 13,000 youths in the US on tobacco use behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. We propose to use univariate and bivariate statistical analyses to examine the research questions. Specifically, the present study hypothesizes that 1) of the PATH Study participants who answered yes to having used a smartphone app for ENP cessation, it will have a modest impact on discontinuing use of ENPs, 2) using smartphone apps for cessation will be more frequent among the younger (ages 12-17 and 18-24) age groups, and 3) smartphone app use will be more effective for females, those of high socioeconomic status, and among those who are white (versus non-white). Our findings would allow those in the nicotine treatment field to understand better the popularity and effectiveness of smartphone app use for encouraging ENP cessation. This also may lead to being able to generalize about the use of smartphone apps in addiction treatment more broadly. Clinicians attempting to aid nicotine-dependent individuals would benefit from the conclusions this study will produce.
