Nudge 2 Quit Smoking
Boosting engagement in smoking cessation through personalized behavioral nudges
Partners
Israel Ministry of Health Quitline, Israel Cancer Association
Collaborators
Dr. Sanchayan Banerjee, Prof. Yael Bar-Zeev
The Problem
Although smoking cessation programs are highly effective, early dropout among participants reduces their chances of long-term success and limits the overall public health impact.
Our Approach
This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized behavioral interventions in improving engagement and retention in Israel’s national smoking cessation quitline.
By tailoring nudges such as reminders, pre-commitments, and intention planning, the study aims to increase attendance at follow-up sessions and overall program completion rates.
Behavioral Solutions
The study includes a large-scale randomized controlled trial conducted among participants in the Ministry of Health’s national quitline program. It evaluates the effectiveness of various behavioral interventions — including commitment devices (pledges), intention implementation plans, reminders, and default scheduling — in improving program adherence.
An adaptive component further adjusts the intervention in real-time, for example, by sending customized reminders if a participant misses a session.
The study will assess the impact of these personalized and adaptive nudges on session attendance and program completion, with the goal of developing an effective model for increasing long-term engagement in smoking cessation programs.
Results and Impact
Improved engagement and completion rates through personalized interventions are expected to significantly increase smoking cessation success among participants. This, in turn, may lead to reduced smoking-related morbidity and mortality.
The adaptive personalization model developed in this study can be integrated into existing quitline services and potentially extended to other public health programs that face similar challenges of participant retention and adherence.
More Information