Study of Twitter-based smoking cessation program gets $2.5 million from NIH

With a $2.5 million continuation grant from the National Institutes of Health, Cornelia Pechmann, professor of marketing at UCI’s Paul Merage School of Business, and Judith J. Prochaska, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, will advance their research on a Twitter-based smoking intervention program. Their most recent study found that participants in Tweet2Quit were twice as successful at kicking the habit as those using traditional methods. The findings were published online in Tobacco Control, an international, peer-reviewed journal. The next step for Pechmann and Prochaska is conducting a larger trial with longer follow-up and bioconfirmed abstinence. If successful, this could validate the efficacy of a highly replicable, accessible, high-reach program for smoking cessation. The research will also examine the potential of the internet – and, more specifically, social media – to encourage and support small, virtual self-help groups promoting such healthy habits as weight control and exercise.