Preferences for Mobile-Supported e-Cigarette Cessation Interventions Among Young Adults: Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background: Despite the steady rise in electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) uptake among young adults, increasingly more young people want to quit. Given the popularity of smartphones among young adults, mobile-based e-cigarette cessation interventions hold significant promise. Smartphone apps are particularly promising due to their varied and complex capabilities to engage end users. However, evidence around young adults' preferences and expectations from an e-cigarette cessation smartphone app remains unexplored.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to take an initial step toward understanding young adults' preferences and perceptions on app-based e-cigarette cessation interventions.

Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive approach, we interviewed 12 young adults who used e-cigarettes and wanted to quit. We inductively derived themes using the framework analysis approach and NVivo 12 qualitative data analysis software.

Results: All participants agreed that a smartphone app for supporting cessation was desirable. In addition, we found 4 key themes related to their preferences for app components: (1) flexible personalization (being able to enter and modify goals); (2) e-cigarette behavior tracking (progress and benefits of quitting); (3) safely managed social support (moderated and anonymous); and (4) positively framed notifications (encouraging and motivational messages). Some gender-based differences indicate that women were more likely to use e-cigarettes to cope with stress, preferred more aesthetic tailoring in the app, and were less likely to quit cold turkey compared with men.

Conclusions: The findings provide direction for the development and testing of app-based e-cigarette cessation interventions for young adults.

Keywords: cessation; e-cigarette; electronic nicotine delivery systems; mHealth; mobile phone; qualitative research; smartphone apps; young adults.