There’s an app for that: Adult daily smokers are needed for a study of a quit-smoking iPhone app

SEATTLE – March 11, 2013 – Adults who’ve smoked daily for at least the past year who want to quit within the next 30 days are needed for a study of a quit-smoking iPhone app being conducted by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in collaboration with the University of Washington and 2Morrow Mobile. Study enrollment will end May 11.

Led by Jonathan Bricker, Ph.D., a psychologist based in the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, the Smart Quit study will randomly assign participants to one of two iPhone application quit-smoking programs. The goal of the study is to learn which of the two programs is the most useful for people who are quitting smoking.

“This is the first-ever study of any smartphone app for quitting smoking,” said Bricker, an associate member of the Fred Hutch Public Health Sciences Division. “Smartphones are a potentially revolutionary quit-smoking tool because you can carry that support with you anywhere.”

Participants randomly assigned to either program will receive:

• Interactive tools for dealing more effectively with urges to smoke
  
• A step-by-step guide for quitting smoking
  
• Personalized plans for quitting and staying quit
  

Both programs are free. Participants will be asked to complete online questionnaires, including one brief follow-up survey during the next two months. They will receive $25 after completing the two-month follow-up survey. Eligibility criteria include:

• being age 18 or older
  
• having smoked at least five cigarettes daily for at least the past 12 months
  
• wanting to quit in the next 30 days
  
• being interested in learning skills to quit smoking
  

Bricker and colleagues gratefully acknowledge that support for this work was provided by the Hartwell Innovation Fund.

For more information about the Smart Quit iPhone study, please visit www.smartquit.org or email smartquit@fhcrc.org.

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At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch’s pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women’s Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit www.fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

MEDIA CONTACT
Kristen Woodward
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