Maximising the effectiveness of interactive automated programs for smoking cessation

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This project is to design, implement and trial automated programs to help smokers quit. It makes use of the powers of modern computing and telecommunications. It uses information the person provides to personally tailor advice and assistance to smokers as they progress from beginning to think about quitting through to being a stable, happy non-smoker. In particular, we are interested in the relative value of detailed advice as compared with the capacity of modern messaging technology (SMS, voice, images) to provide a set of prompts and reminders that help smokers manage a quit attempt and help prevent them relapsing back to smoking. Once we have developed the interventions, we will subject them to a rigorous scientific trial to see how effective they are and also how cost-effective they prove. Our hope is that these programs will provide a cheap, accessible and effective way of helping smokers to quit and thus help reduce the huge toll of smoking-related disease.