Tools- of Changes

Text Messages Can Help TB Patients Quit Smoking

This randomized clinical trial found that patients with TB who smoked tobacco were almost three times more likely to achieve continuous tobacco abstinence if they were sent text messages.

Smoking worsens outcomes in people with tuberculosis (TB), while quitting hastens recovery. This randomized clinical trial in Bangladesh and Pakistan included 1,080 patients with TB who smoked tobacco. 720 of them received text messages throughout TB treatment, daily for 2 months then monthly for 4 months, encouraging tobacco cessation. The usual care group (n = 360) received written information on tobacco cessation. The proportion achieving self-reported continuous tobacco abstinence at 6 months, supported by biochemical verification at 6 months, was significantly higher with text messages (41.7%) vs with usual care (15.3%).