Using social media to reach smokers

SOCIAL media’s success rate for helping young adults quit smoking is twice that of traditional methods, according to a new study.

The study compared the results of social media-based campaign Break It Off against those of Smokers’ Helpline, a phone hotline geared towards young adults.

Break It Off speaks to young adults by comparing the act of quitting smoking to breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend, whereas Smokers’ Hotline is less thematic.

After three months of using the apps and web tools offered by Break It Off, 32% of smokers had quit, whereas only 14% of Smokers’ Helpline users had stopped at that point.

“These findings suggest that the creators of public health campaigns need to evaluate how they use social media channels and social networks to improve health, especially with regards to younger demographics,” says lead author Bruce Baskerville, a senior scientist at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at Waterloo.

The study took place in Canada, where most smokers are between 19 and 29 years old and unlikely to make use of traditional cessation services like Smokers’ Helpline.

In addition to being the biggest demographic of smokers, they are also the biggest social media users in the country with 91% of them on Facebook and onethird active on sites like Twitter, according to the study.

“Traditional cessation services can have limited reach and this reduced visibility lessens their impact in a digital era,” says Baskerville.

“Because they are such heavy users of social media, these platforms provide an alternative and successful way of reaching smokers who are less likely to relate to other cessation programmes.”

Break It Off is a creation of the Canadian Cancer Society and has been around since January 2012. It includes an interactive website in addition to social media and a free app. – AFP-Relaxnews