Digital Health and Health Disparities Research Lab

National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

We published a protocol manuscript outlining a study of an auto-referral system to digital smoking cessation and alcohol reduction mobile applications. The study uses electronic health records to identify smokers and those who drink alcohol to excess and refer them through text messages to evidence based mobile applications. Regarding Covid-19, we examined traffic to smoking cessation digital platforms (e.g., SmokeFree website, mobile apps, text messaging interventions, and social media platforms) over a four-month period in 2019 and 2020. We documented peaks in traffic to SmokeFree website and smoking cessation interventions in 2020 that could be indicative of heightened interest in smoking cessation during the Covid-19 pandemic. We had four abstracts accepted to local, national, and international conferences: the NIH/FDA Covid-19 Research Symposium/Workshop, Public Health & Health Disparities Session, Bethesda, MD; the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA; and the 16th International Congress of Behavioural Medicine From offering to guiding: Digital health approaches to supporting addictive and compulsive behavior change. Glasgow, Scotland.