Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41218997›Full record

Trial reportAddiction (Abingdon, England)2026

Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy-based smartphone app for smoking cessation in China: A randomized controlled trial.

Jinsong Tang, Xiaocong Liu, Shanshan Chen, Yunkai Sun, Minzhe Zhu, Zitang Zhou, Yueheng Liu, Jie Yang, Wei Chen, Yanhui Liao

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jinsong TangDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Xiaocong LiuDepartment of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Shanshan ChenDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Yunkai SunDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Minzhe ZhuDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Zitang ZhouDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Yueheng LiuDepartment of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, China.
Jie YangDivision of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Wei ChenDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Yanhui LiaoDepartment of Psychiatry, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4735-3252

Funding

Shanghai Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals K-20201478
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsSmoking is the leading preventable cause of premature death in China, yet less than 10% of smokers seeking to quit receive treatment. This study aimed to test the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based smoking cessation intervention ('Smokefree Life') via a smartphone app in China.

designA digital, parallel, single-blind, two-arm (1:1) randomized controlled trial.

settingThis trial was conducted via 'Smokefree Life' app in the whole of mainland of China between 13 December 2021 and 15 April 2023.

participantsChinese-speaking adult smokers (925 males, 102 females, mean age 35.0 ± 6.7) willing to quit within one month were recruited via WeChat, survey sampling and referral from doctors, friends and family and randomized in a 1:1 ratio.

interventionThe intervention group (n = 523) received a 13-14 week CBT-based smoking cessation intervention via smartphone app and the control group (n = 504) received only control messages. All participants were followed for 26 weeks post-quit date. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was biochemically validated continuous abstinence at 26 weeks. Secondary outcomes were self-reported 7-day abstinence and continuous abstinence at 26 weeks.

findingsBy intention-to-treat analysis, the biochemically verified 26-week continuous abstinence rate was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group (6.50%) compared with the control group (2.58%) (odds ratio = 2.63, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-5.22, P = 0.0037). Self-reported 7-day and continuous abstinence rates were also consistently higher in the intervention group across follow-ups (all P < 0.05).

conclusionsThe 'Smokefree Life' app-based smoking cessation intervention statistically significantly improved 6-month biochemically confirmed quit rates among adult smokers in China.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMobile ApplicationsSmoking CessationAdultChinaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSingle-Blind MethodSmartphoneTreatment Outcomecognitive behavioral therapye‐health interventionsrandomized controlled trialsmartphone appSmokefree lifesmoking cessation

Identifiers

PMID41218997
PMCPMC12887926

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.