Interactive Conversational Agents for Cigarette-Smoking and Vaping Cessation: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

Abstract

Interactive conversational agents, also known as chatbots, have the potential to increase the success rate of digital technology interventions to promote healthy behaviors. However, due to their newness and limited use, little is known about their integration, usefulness, and effectiveness in promoting smoking and vaping cessation. The aim of this mixed-methods systematic review was to assess the effectiveness and characteristics of current interactive conversational agents in promoting and supporting smoking and vaping cessation. A mixed-methods systematic review was conducted to identify studies published in the last 20 years in five relevant databases. Eight studies, including seven on smoking cessation and one on smoking and vaping cessation, were included. The results showed that, compared to other smoking cessation methods, chatbots can lead to better engagement in treatment, resulting in higher rates of sustained abstinence and improved quality of life. In addition, chatbots can be perceived as empathetic and establish a decent therapeutic alliance thanks to their communication skills. This knowledge could be useful for the development of interactive conversational agents to support smoking and/or vaping cessation. Alternative intervention tools targeting younger generations, such as chatbots, may offer an additional way for public health professionals to reach them.

Keywords

• conversational agents
• chatbots
• systematic review
• cigarette-smoking cessation
• vaping cessation