Unlocking the Potential of mHealth for Smoking Cessation: An Expert Viewpoint

Smoking remains a critical global health issue, with significant mortality and economic costs. Traditional cessation methods, though effective, face challenges in accessibility and scalability, highlighting the potential of mobile health (mHealth) applications. However, many existing mHealth apps for smoking cessation underperform when compared to established methods, theorised to be caused by the high attrition rates due to their low levels of personalization and a general lack of proven theoretical underpinning for feature selection. This study aims to enhance smoking cessation mHealth app design by incorporating expert insights from the field. Engaging with licensed smoking cessation experts in Flanders, Belgium, we conducted in-depth interviews to gather their views on essential app features and design principles. The experts emphasized the need for features regarding personalization, goal-setting, and user-friendly interfaces among others. Their recommendations aligned with established behaviour change theories such as Self-Determination Theory, Goal-Setting Theory, and Human-Computer Interaction principles such as Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics, underscoring the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in mHealth app development. Our findings present a list of categorised design requirements critical for developing effective and engaging smoking cessation apps. By integrating expert knowledge and behavioural theory, this research offers a foundation for developing more effective, user-centric mHealth solutions, advancing the fight against the global smoking epidemic. This study helps close the gap between the current shortcomings of mHealth application and their potential to provide accessible and cost-effective healthcare to broad audiences around the globe.