Development and usability testing of a mindfulness-based smoking cessation app for adults with low income: "It's helped me to not react and grab a cigarette".
Journal of Health Psychology June 26, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/13591053261461905 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative usability study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Adults with low socioeconomic status who smoke |
| Duration | 2 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Participants reported that the app helped them reduce smoking, feel more confident coping with cravings, and recover from lapses, and they valued its simplicity, relatability, and mindfulness content. They recommended increasing interactivity and social support, improving smoking behavior tracking, and enhancing app esthetics. |
Abstract
Adults with low socioeconomic status (SES) experience profound tobacco-related health disparities. This paper describes the development of a mobile application, iQuit Mindfully 2.0, to provide accessible mindfulness training for smoking cessation for adults with low SES. In the initial usability study, adults with low SES who smoked ( N = 16) used the app for 2 weeks and provided feedback through individual interviews, which were coded using NVivo. Participants appreciated that the app was simple and easy to use, relatable and personalized, and taught mindfulness practices for coping with stress and cravings. The app helped them reduce their smoking, develop greater confidence in their ability to cope with cravings, and recover from smoking lapses. Participants suggested ways to increase interactivity and social support, improve smoking behavior tracking, and enhance app esthetics. This feedback will be used to improve the app with the goal of providing accessible smoking cessation treatment for low-SES populations.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness-based interventions to support wellbeing of adults in low socio-economic settings: a realist review BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies January 29, 2024
- Mindfulness-based interventions for psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review February 1, 2018
- Perceptions of Mindfulness in a Low-Income, Primarily African American Treatment-Seeking Sample Mindfulness December 1, 2017
- Efficacy of mindfulness-based addiction treatment (MBAT) for smoking cessation and lapse recovery: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology September 1, 2016
- Dispositional Mindfulness Predicts Enhanced Smoking Cessation and Smoking Lapse Recovery. Annals of Behavioral Medicine June 1, 2016
and 3 more in the library