Scientists have developed a custom app for smartwatches to detect smoking movements that could help patients kick the habit.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have designed software that uses motion sensors in smartwatches to identify hand movements typical in cigarette smokers. If the app detects a person is smoking, the smartwatch delivers a relapse prevention message on its screen. The alert includes the number of cigarettes smoked in the day already, along with support for quitting.
Smoking is a leading cause of death in the UK. Around six million people aged 18 years and over smoked cigarettes in 2023, with the habit leading to approximately 75,000 deaths each year.
The developers tested their interventional technology in a feasibility study with 18 people interested in quitting smoking. Daily smokers aged between 18 and 70 years who went through more than ten cigarettes a day were enrolled. After wearing an Android smartwatch loaded with the app for two weeks, participants reported on the feasibility of this smartwatch approach and how the app made them think about smoking.
According to the study’s results published in JMIR Formative Research, 66% of participants said it was acceptable to wear the smartwatch with the motion sensor software. A total of 61% said the content of messages was relevant to them with participants reporting the messages made them think about their smoking behaviour.
The researchers did find some limitations related to the bulkiness of the device and its battery capacity, which meant some participants did not wear the device during the day, resulting in missed or ineffective messages. Nonetheless, in conclusion, they stated the combination of sensors for passive smoking detection and text messaging made for “powerful tools” as just-in-time interventions. The research team said a longer-term efficacy trial, which would include a larger suite of supportive text messages, is the next step.
Chris Stone, part of the University of Bristol’s tobacco and alcohol research group, said the initial lapse is a “vulnerable moment”, and “risks leading to a full relapse to smoking”.
Stone comments: “People like smartwatches. They like the idea of it delivering a message at the point that they smoke. Therefore, if we can identify this point of lapse, and deliver an intervention precisely at that point, we have an opportunity to improve the success of the quit attempt.”
Smartwatches accounted for nearly 40% of the overall wearables market in 2022, according to research by GlobalData. The wearable technology market is forecast to grow to $290.6bn by 2030, up from $99.5bn in 2022.
