Table 2.
Characteristics of the included studies (N=9) by publication year.
| Author (year)/country | Primary outcomes measurement | Secondary outcomes measurement | Compensation paid | Retention rate | Intervention engagement | Data collection method |
| Baskerville 2018 [19]/Canada | Continuous self-reported abstinence at 6 months | Self-reported nonsmoking in past 7 days; Self-reported nonsmoking in the past 30 days; satisfaction with the app | Participants were provided a Can $35a incentive for registering to the study, and a raffle of an iPad Air tablet was used as an incentive to complete 6-months follow-up | IG: 354/820 (43.2%) CG: 371/779 (47.6%) | 359/820 (43.8%) at 6- months (359 downloaded app) | Collected via a self-administered and web-based questionnaire |
| Danaher 2019 [20]/United States | Self-reported 7-day PPAb at 3- and 6-months follow-up assessments | Engagement, helpfulness, satisfaction, usability | Not sure | 6-months: IG: 359 (56.7%) CG: 329 (51.6%) | 96% engage with the APPc. The overall number of app visits was 15.92 (15.79); the overall duration of app visits was 22.34 (30.46) minutes | A nationwide internet-based marketing campaign used Google AdWords, Reddit, Smokefree.gov, and ORI.org |
| Affret 2020 [21]/France | Self-reported 7-day PPA at 6 months | (1) continuous abstinence at 6-months; (2) continuous abstinence at 12-months; (3) minimum 24-hour point abstinence at 3-months; (4) minimum 30-day point abstinence at 12-months; (5) number and duration of quit attempts; (6) progress through the 4 modules in the intervention | Not sure | IG: 518/1400 (37.0%) CG: 602/1406 (42.8%) | 3-months and 6-months usage rates for the app were 10.7% and 5.7% | When visiting their personal account on the French Mandatory National Health Insurance website, users were invited via a banner |
| Carrasco-Hernandez 2020 [24]/Spain | 1-year smoking abstinence rate measured by exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) and cotinine urine test | (1) Quality of life; (2) International Physical Activity Questionnaire; (3) BMI | Not sure | IG: 51/120 (42.5%); CG: 45/120 (37.5%) | Low at 6-months follow up as paper’s figure indicated | Smokers were recruited during routine visits to our outpatient clinic |
| Garrison 2020 [23]/United States | 7-day PPA from smoking at 6-months, verified by video-based CO-monitoring (<10 parts per million [ppm]) | Smoking cigarettes per day, craving, and mindfulness, from baseline and 6-months surveys | Paying $10 for the end of treatment survey, $20 each for surveys at 3- and 6-months follow-up, and $0.50 per experience sampling “check-in” | Retention was defined as answering the primary outcome questions at 6-months-72.60% | As completed 60% of MMT-ES modules or checking in on 60% of treatment days, 53.1% completed week 1, 41.3% in week 2, and 28.7% in week 3 |
Recruitment sources were as follows: Google advertisements, word of mouth or other, Facebook posts, Twitter, et al All surveys were automated |
| Masaki 2020 [18]/Japan | Validated CARd from 9-weeks to 24-weeks measured by CO Tester | (1) Biochemically validated CAR from weeks 9 to 12 and weeks 9 to 52; (2) 7-day PPA at weeks 4, 8, 12, 24, and 52; (3) withdrawal symptoms; (4) cravings; (5) misperceptions about smoking; (6) Time to first lapse after the quit date; (7) The usage rate of either the intervention or the control app; (8) The presence of product problems or adverse events | Compensation of US $90 per visit may have impacted both app engagement and quitting success, although compensation was provided to both groups | IG: 89.1% (254/285) CG: 87.8% (252/287) | 99.6% (252/253) at week 24 | Recruited nicotine-dependent adults who visited outpatient clinics to receive smoking cessation treatment |
| Etter 2021 [22]/France and Switzerland | Self-reported smoking cessation after 6-months (no puff of tobacco in the past 4 weeks) | Self-reported use of nicotine medications | Not sure | IG: 662/2639 (25.1%); CG: 745/2654 (28.1%) | 15% of participants used it during the whole 6 months | Once on the app stores, participants downloaded the app |
| Houston 2022 [25]/United States | Time to first quit attempt (duration from Take a Break experience to primary outcome) and CO level–verified smoking cessation at 6-month follow-up | Smoking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; 6-months prevalent abstinence was self-reported and verified by a CO meter | All compensation received within 48 hours upon completion of the particular task (ie, after in-person session, after telephone survey). Compensation was in the form of Amazon gift cards, in $25 and $50 denominations. Study participants at Reliant Medical Group will receive checks (mail to them after each visit) in the same amounts as Amazon gift cards | IG: 160/213 (75.1%); CG: 171/220 (77.7%) | 112 (53%) completed daily quizzes in the first week and 73 (34%) completed quizzes in the following second week. 159 (75%) using the coping mini-games | Participants were recruited from individuals who had at least 1 visit in the preceding 12-months to participating clinical sites |
| Webb 2022 [26]/United Kingdom | Abstinence was verified using a random sample of participants with CO breath testing of <5 parts per million (n = 280) | 7-day PPA at 26-week and 52-week follow-up, consecutive 7-day PPA at 26-weeks and 52-weeks follow-up time points. Sustained abstinence; the number of quit attempts at 26-weeks and 52-weeks post-Quit Date | Participants received £10e to offset travel costs and were compensated for each follow-up data collection visit as follows: £10e (26 weeks) and £20e (4- and 52-week follow-ups) | Week 52: IG 209 (79%); CG 212 (80%) | 42.8% of the Quit Genius participants completed the CBT essentials | Participants were recruited via social media and referrals from primary care practices in the United Kingdom between January and November. |
aCAD $1=USD $0.94 on July 1, 2019.
bPPA: point prevalence abstinence.
cAmong the MobileQuit participants, 90.0% (570/633) accessed the app multiple times, 6.0% (38/633) accessed once, and 4.0% (25/633) never accessed.
dCAR: continuous abstinence rate.
eGBP £1=USD $1.32 US Dollar on December 31, 2019.