Two New Peer-Reviewed Studies Exploring Tobacco Cessation Digital Clinic Quit Genius Find That It Increases Smokers’ Motivation to Quit

NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 30, 2021 — Quit Genius, the world’s first digital clinic for treating multiple addictions, announced today that two new peer-reviewed studies have found that the Quit Genius tobacco cessation program increases smokers’ motivation to quit, potentially leading to higher quit rates.

Quit Genius was one of two digital clinics included in the studies, which were performed sequentially by the same team of researchers at Imperial College London’s School of Public Health. The first, “Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Quit of Smokers Seeking to Quit: Quantitative Assessment of Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps,” explored the impact of smoking cessation mobile apps on a smoker’s self-efficacy, or their confidence in their ability to manage temptations or challenging situations without relapsing to smoking behaviors. The study also examined their motivation to quit. The second, “Impact of Gamification on the Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Quit of Smokers: Observational Study of Two Gamified Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps,” explored the impact of the mobile apps’ gamification features specifically on a smoker’s self-efficacy.

The first study found a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy of 5.1 points (95% CI 1.8-8.3) from baseline to the end of the study (P = ≤ 0.05) from the use of mobile apps including Quit Genius. The study showed that Quit Genius positively impacted self-efficacy and motivation to quit, which are both crucial psychological factors involved in quitting smoking.

The second study found that the more frequently gamification features were used, the greater the improvements in self-efficacy experienced by the study participants. The implication of this research is that gamification embedded in mobile apps can positively impact important psychological factors involved in smoking cessation, and have positive effects on self-efficacy and motivation to quit smoking.

“Evidence-based solutions for digital addiction clinics are still rare, and research conducted by independent third parties, as was the case here, is rarer still,” said Yusuf Sherwani, M.D., Co-founder and CEO of Quit Genius. “We’re pleased to now have eight published peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the efficacy of Quit Genius. We’d encourage any employer, patient or health care professional evaluating mobile apps for addiction to consult published, independently validated research as part of their review.”

Quit Genius delivers the industry’s most complete virtual clinical care model for addiction. The  program combines virtual behavioral therapy with approved medication and connected devices to help people overcome addiction from the comfort and privacy of their own home. To date, Quit Genius has helped more than 750,000 people improve their lives and conquer their addictions. The average success rate for people in the Quit Genius tobacco program is 52 percent, far higher than traditional methods.

The company recently raised a highly oversubscribed $64M Series B funding round.