If there were ever doubt, a new study proves social media can change behavior for the better.
A study published by Nicotine and Tobacco Research found that anti-smoking apps have more influence in getting people to quit smoking than other types of campaigns.
The study compared the use of the Canadian Cancer Society’s 2012 smoking cessation apps and interactive tools to Smokers’ Helpline, a phone hotline for people looking to quit.
Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada honed in on young adults between ages 19 to 29, who have the highest smoking rates in Canada but also have near complete saturation when using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Smokers trying to kick the habit were more than twice as likely, 32 percent, to successfully quit when using an app or online tool compared to those who used a hotline service, 14 percent.
“Traditional cessation services can have limited reach and this reduced visibility lessens their impact in a digital era,” said the study’s lead researcher Bruce Baskerville in a news release.
The study is joined in step with less optimistic news for health advocates: E-cigarette use has skyrocketed in the last year. According to a Reuters-Ispos poll, Americans are using electronic cigarettes and other vaporizing devices instead of quitting.
Of the nearly 6,000 people polled, the number of vaping adults in the U.S. has quadrupled from 2.6 percent to one in 10. Now, 15 percent of Americans under 40 use electronic smoking devices, Reuters found.
Young adults between ages 18 and 24 are most drawn to vaping, which has risen concerns among health advocates who feel youth are misled into thinking pure nicotine delivery through e-cigarettes is safer or healthier than traditional cigarettes. Teen e-cigarette use has steadily climbed since 2011, outnumbering regular use of tobacco cigarettes.
State legislators have tried to address vaporizers growing appeal. California may soon pass a law that lifts the legal smoking age to 21. The legislation recently passed the State Senate and is waiting a vote in the Assembly.
Northern California’s Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance Thursday raising the age to buy smoke products to 21. The ordinance goes into effect January 1.
Washington state has also taken a tough stance on e-cigarette use by working to pass the same 95 percent sales tax on tobacco cigarettes to vaping devices.
Researchers agree, however, electronic nicotine-delivery devices are less toxic — studies have shown they carry many of the same health risks as tobacco cigarettes — but scientists are less sure about whether they are less addictive.