HealthyCells A Culturally Tailored Smartphone Program to Help African American Adults Quit Smoking and Reduce Sitting Time

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to develop and test a culturally tailored smartphone app called HealthyCells to help African American smokers quit smoking and reduce sedentary behavior. African Americans have higher quit attempts but lower success rates compared to other groups. By integrating two proven smartphone interventions, the study seeks to address barriers and promote cessation and activity using tailored content that considers cultural strengths and challenges. HealthyCells combines a smoking cessation app with features like facial recognition to verify smoking status twice daily using carbon monoxide breath samples, and activity monitoring via a Google smartwatch. The app sends real-time prompts to encourage movement after 30 minutes of sitting and delivers motivational messages twice daily to support quitting and reduce sedentary time. The study includes a pilot phase with 15 African American smokers to refine the app, followed by a main phase where 30 participants will use HealthyCells during a planned quit attempt. Participants will engage in smoking status assessments and activity monitoring remotely, with rewards for abstinence based on biochemical verification at 8 weeks. Sedentary time will be measured by accelerometer for 7 days before quitting and 7 days at 8 weeks post-quit. The research team will evaluate smoking abstinence rates and changes in sedentary behavior to determine the apps feasibility. The total study participation is focused on the 8-week period post-quit date, with frequent assessments and feedback via the app.

A Culturally Tailored Smartphone Application for African American Smokers