Introduction

Mobile phone-based tobacco cessation (mCessation) interventions are effective in high-income countries but their effectiveness in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is unclear. We aimed to assess the evidence-base for mCessation interventions in LMICs by synthesizing study characteristics and to describe intervention characteristics and content.

Methods

Studies were included in this review if they evaluated an intervention that targeted tobacco users, were conducted in an LMIC, measured tobacco cessation as a primary or secondary outcome, and were primarily delivered using mobile phone (text or app-based) messaging. Data were extracted on fields pertaining to study and intervention characteristics and study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Screening, extraction and quality assessment were conducted by two independent reviewers.

Results

Of 606 unique records, 12 articles were included. The majority of studies were methodologically weak. Methodological limitations included small sample sizes, short follow-up durations and use of self-reported outcomes. Most evaluations were conducted in upper middle-income countries with urban, adult smokers intending to quit smoking. Approximately half the interventions were bidirectional (enabled two-way messaging) and fully automated. Almost all interventions were delivered via SMS. Treatment offerings of the intervention and control groups varied widely.

Conclusions

More rigorous large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to conclusively establish the efficacy of mCessation interventions in LMICs. Interventions also need to be tested across more diverse populations and settings. Future studies should test the relative effectiveness of different intervention characteristics.

中文翻译：

---

中低收入国家基于手机的戒烟信息：系统评价

介绍

基于手机的戒烟 (mCessation) 干预措施在高收入国家有效，但在低收入和中等收入国家 (LMIC) 的有效性尚不清楚。我们旨在通过综合研究特征并描述干预特征和内容来评估 LMIC 中 mCessation 干预的证据基础。

方法

如果研究评估了针对烟草使用者的干预措施，在 LMIC 中进行，将戒烟作为主要或次要结果进行衡量，并且主要使用手机（基于文本或基于应用程序的）消息传递，则这些研究被纳入本综述。提取与研究和干预特征相关的领域的数据，并使用有效的公共卫生实践项目工具评估研究质量。筛选、提取和质量评估由两名独立评审员进行。

结果

在 606 条独特记录中，包括 12 篇文章。大多数研究在方法学上都很薄弱。方法学限制包括样本量小、随访时间短和使用自我报告的结果。大多数评估是在中高收入国家进行的，城市成年吸烟者打算戒烟。大约一半的干预是双向的（启用双向消息传递）并且是完全自动化的。几乎所有干预措施都是通过短信进行的。干预组和对照组的治疗方案差异很大。

结论

需要更严格的大规模随机对照试验来最终确定 mCessation 干预在 LMIC 中的功效。干预措施还需要在更多样化的人群和环境中进行测试。未来的研究应该测试不同干预特征的相对有效性。