ArticleBMJ open2019
Use of gamification strategies and tactics in mobile applications for smoking cessation: a review of the UK mobile app market.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Gamification and Cognitive Factors: Research Hotspots, Knowledge Structure, and Future Directions Based on Bibliometric Analysis.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- The regulatory status of health apps that employ gamification.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Gamification in Mobile Apps for Children With Disabilities: Scoping Review.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Exploring the Incentive Function of Virtual Academic Degrees in a Chinese Online Smoking Cessation Community: Qualitative Content Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Pilot trial of QuitBet: A digital social game that pays you to stop smoking.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2022Article
- Exploring Users' Experiences With a Quick-Response Chatbot Within a Popular Smoking Cessation Smartphone App: Semistructured Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Identification of smoking cessation phenotypes as a basis for individualized counseling: An explorative real-world cohort study.Tobacco induced diseases · 2022Article
- MCMTC: A Pragmatic Framework for Selecting an Experimental Design to Inform the Development of Digital Interventions.Frontiers in digital health · 2022Article
- Mobile Health for Smoking Cessation Among Disadvantaged Young Women During and After Pregnancy: User-Centered Design and Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2021Article
- Supportive Accountability and Mobile App Use in a Tobacco Control Intervention Targeting Low-Income Minority Mothers Who Smoke: Observational Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Observational
- Impact of Gamification on the Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Quit of Smokers: Observational Study of Two Gamified Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps.JMIR serious games · 2021Article
- Use of mHealth Technology for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Adults with Acquired Brain Injuries: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Vaping-Related Mobile Apps Available in the Google Play Store After the Apple Ban: Content Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMobile phone-based interventions have been proven to be effective tools for smoking cessation, at least in the short term. Gamification, that is, the use of game-design elements in a non-game context, has been associated with increased engagement and motivation, critical success factors for long-term success of mobile Health solutions. However, to date, no app review has examined the use of gamification in smoking cessation mobile apps. Our review aims to examine and quantify the use of gamification strategies (broad principles) and tactics (on-screen features) among existing mobile apps for smoking cessation in the UK.
methodsThe UK Android and iOS markets were searched in February 2018 to identify smoking cessation apps. 125 Android and 15 iOS apps were tested independently by two reviewers for primary functionalities, adherence to Five A smoking cessation guidelines, and adoption of gamification strategies and tactics. We examined differences between platforms with χ
resultsThe most common functionality of the 140 mobile apps we reviewed allowed users to track the days since/until the quit date (86.4%). The most popular gamification strategy across both platforms was performance feedback (91.4%). The majority of apps adopted a medium level of gamification strategies (55.0%) and tactics (64.3%). Few adopted high levels of gamification strategies (6.4%) or tactics (5.0%). No statistically significant differences between the two platforms were found regarding level of gamification (p>0.05) and weak correlations were found between adherence to Five A's and gamification strategies (r=0.38) and tactics (r=0.26).
conclusionThe findings of this review show that a high level of gamification is adopted by a small minority of smoking cessation apps in the UK. Further exploration of the use of gamification in smoking cessation apps may provide insights into its role in smoking cessation.
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