TXT2STOP: A randomised controlled trial of a novel smoking cessation intervention using mobile phone text-messaging

A mobile phone text-messaging programme doubled the rate at which smokers quit, at least in the short term, and a trial of 5,800 UK participants will now test whether that effect lasts. Smoking kills one in two people who continue past age 35. Existing stop-smoking services are effective but expensive and inconvenient. Mobile phones can deliver personalised support anywhere, at low cost. A New Zealand trial (STOMP) showed a doubling of quit rates at six weeks, but no one knew whether the effect held at six months. The Txt2stop team adapted that programme for the UK, working with youth counsellors and 62 smokers in focus groups to refine the messages. A pilot study of 200 participants achieved 93% long-term follow-up and again found a doubling of quit rates (24% versus 10%) at short-term follow-up. If the full trial confirms sustained quitting, the intervention could be rolled out nationally at minimal cost. That would directly reduce deaths from lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke — conditions that together account for tens of thousands of UK deaths each year. The approach also demonstrates how existing mobile infrastructure can deliver public-health interventions at scale, without requiring new devices or clinic visits.