A new study has revealed that tuberculosis (TB) patients who smoke can recover more quickly if they quit this harmful habit, and mobile phone use can play a significant role in helping them do so.
As part of the trial, patients were sent motivational messages to see whether this approach could help them quit smoking sooner.
The results, published in JAMA, showed that individuals who received three times more messages were more likely to quit smoking for six months compared to those who received only limited information.
The lead researcher, Professor Kamran Siddiqi, stated that it is well known that people who quit smoking recover from TB more rapidly. Therefore, scientists aimed to determine whether motivational messages could help patients give up smoking more quickly.
Professor Kamran Siddiqi explained that the study was conducted on 1,080 individuals in Bangladesh and Pakistan who were suffering from TB and used mobile phones.
Out of the 1,080 participants, 720 received text messages encouraging them to quit smoking - daily messages for two months, followed by weekly messages for the next four months. The remaining 360 participants were provided with printed information to help them quit the harmful habit.
According to the findings, 41 percent of those who received text messages successfully quit smoking for six months.
