Table 2.

Participants quotes

Theme 1: The structure and elements of an effective smoking cessation program	‘if they [ex-smokers] could come and tell their story and how they did it and you think ’well if they can do it why can’t I do it,’ even though everybody’s different’. ‘I did not even know that there was such a program…’ ‘I found it very helpful [to have ex-smokers participate], the people that had been there done that kind of people, that for me a lot of times, you’re getting a lecture you’re hearing about the perils, you’re hearing it from someone you don’t give a lot of credibility to’. ‘Well, I think it’s like seeing the success of other people, being able to hear their stories, how they quit, you know? And just being able to have hope, you know?’ I would love to be in a class that talks about it [quitting smoking]. I have some friends who talk about it all the time. They encourage me all the time, and if it wasn’t for them, I would not still be quit’. ‘I liked them both [individual and group sessions] equally because the individual attention we could talk about stuff that was bothering me…the group was good for my support’. ‘AA [Alcoholics Anonymous], the people that drinking is their issue, they’ve got that concept of you need to have a mentor within the group and for support, and if you’re going to lapse there’s oh here’s my lifeline that I can get support from’. ‘…not a pamphlet nothing on the walls, like if I wasn’t in this group I wouldn’t know about this [smoking cessation group]…my doctor doesn’t know about it…a lot of people want help but they don’t know that help is available’.
Theme 2: The integration of telehealth and digital technologies in cessation programs	‘I frequently go on a subreddit website called Reddit stopsmoking and it’s all just people who are bringing up discussions or trying to motivate others or answer people’s questions or get people through hard times, and all you need is an internet connection’. ‘…there’ll always be somebody there, cause that moment you reach for that cigarette, that’s when you got to make that decision…the moment you open that pack, are you going to take one or not? If it clicks, you can talk to somebody about it’. ‘’…the entire history of the world fits in the pocket of your pants or jacket so why not utilize that for people who only have ten minutes in between appointments and so they can make a quick phone call or Facebook group or Reddit group or anything and reach out for support’. ‘I’ve used the Medeo and the Telus health…I used it for a while for prescription renewals and basic stuff. I found it to be great, and easier when I was on the couch and felt like crap’. ‘wouldn’t it be better if there was something available all the time on an ongoing basis? An open resource’.
Theme 3: The utilization of e-cigarettes for smoking reduction or cessation	‘It’s stupid, you’re still smoking [when using e-cigarettes]. You can change the name, it’s still the same thing. Your either smoking or you’re not and that’s just it, and there are people dying, they’re banning it in the states [United States], and they’re not doing it for nothing’. ‘I don’t want to say what works for me would work for everyone, but for myself and my medical conditions, I have a lot less breathing restrictions in the morning or while using an e-cigarette than I did with cigarettes. I still do have some [breathing restriction], it’s not a catch-all, but it is, in my experience, mitigated’. ‘I think it’s cool in that it’s a healthier alternative if someone is trying to quit. I have a respect for it [vaping]. I like that it exists because I know in my father’s case, and people who are stuck, they can’t quit. So if they can still save their health somehow that’s like a really cool thing’. ‘The feeling of the nicotine somehow running through our blood and if we hope that we’re mitigating the health concerns we’re not thinking let’s put it that way frankly. It’s doing the job it keeps us happy and hopefully it’s less problematic than smoking hopefully’. ‘I tried vaping. to quit smoking. I found that I sucked the vapour in deep into my lungs, right, and I still wasn’t getting the nicotine adrenaline thing – so I ended up vaping and smoking’.