Table 3.
Design of trials with a focus on smoking cessation.
| Reference | Setting/country/population | Study design | Experimental arm vs control arm(s), n | Intervention description and control | Duration |
| Abroms et al (2015) [38] | Online/United States/current smoker or recently quit (<4 weeks ago), <30 weeks’ gestation | Observational | Intervention (20), no control arm | Quit4baby text messages: 1-5 messages per day in reference to chosen quit date; also included interactive keyword-based support messages. Participants continued to receive text4baby messages concurrently | 4 weeks |
| Fujioka et al (2012) [39] | Obstetrics consultations/Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan/current smokers, >20 weeks’ gestation | Observational | Intervention (52), no control arm | Mobile phone e-learning program: smoking cessation education, ability to set quit date, ability to select who will help quit smoking, record of declaration of quitting smoking | 3 months |
| Abroms (2017) [41] | Prenatal clinics/Washington DC, United States/current smoker or recently quit (<2 weeks ago) | RCTa | Intervention (55) vs control (44) | SmokefreeMOM: Tailored and interactive texts 3-6 times per day regarding smoking including setting a quit date, self-efficacy, and expectations regarding quitting vs usual care | 3 months |
| Naughton et al (2012) [42] | Prenatal clinics/England/current smokers, <21 weeks’ gestation | RCT | Intervention (102) vs control (105) | MiQuit text messages: Tailored text messages 0-2 times/day at random intervals as well as instant-response supportive texts for help or lapses in behavior and tailored leaflet vs untailored leaflet | 3 months |
| Pollak et al (2013) [43] | Prenatal clinics/United States/current smokers, 10-30 weeks’ gestation | RCT | Intervention (16) vs control (15) | Scheduled gradual reduction SMS: Gradual program to reduce smoking to 0 cigarettes by the 4th week. Support messages included up to 5 messages per day about various smoking cessation topics as well as setting a quit date vs support messages alone | 5 weeks |
| Tombor (2018) [44] | Online/England/current smokers | RCT | 565 randomized to one of 32 groups in full factorial design, randomized to full or minimal version of each module | SmokeFree Baby App assessed 5 modules: identity, health information, stress management, face-to-face support, behavioral substitution | 4 weeks |
| Abroms (2017) [40] | Online/United States; current smokers | RCT | Intervention (250) vs control (247) | Quit4baby: Tailored and interactive texts 1-8 times/day regarding smoking including setting a quit date, self-efficacy, and expectations regarding quitting. Was employed in addition to Text4baby. Compared with Text4baby alone | 3 months |
| Forinash (2018) [45] | Prenatal clinic, St. Louis, MO, United States/current smokers | RCT | Intervention (14) vs control (16) | Text messages every several days in a tapering pattern with encouragement to stop smoking vs usual care | 8 weeks |
| Naughton (2017) [46] | Prenatal clinics, England/<25 weeks’ gestation; current smokers | RCT | Intervention (203) vs control (204) | MiQuit: an automated 12-week advice and support program for quitting smoking delivered by SMS text message. Tailored to desired themes including gestation, motivation to quit, self-efficacy, and partner’s smoking status vs usual care | Until 36 weeks’ gestation |
aRCT: randomized controlled trial.