Development of a decision aid to improve uptake of smoking cessation support tools

Tobacco smoking is the most prevalent cause of preventable non communicable diseases, like cancer. Many Dutch smokers therefore attempt to quit smoking, but only 4-10% of these quit attempts are successful. Evidence-based smoking cessation support tools, such as pharmacotherapy, counseling and online interventions, have been shown to double the chance of successful quitting. However, Dutch smokers’ use of evidence-based cessation support tools is low, as many of them are unaware of the existence of or hold incorrect beliefs regarding evidence-based cessation support tools.
Furthermore, even after smokers become motivated to use evidence-based support tools, they will still need to select tools that best suit their individual preferences. Therefore, the aim of this PhD project is to develop a web-based decision aid that 1) motivates smokers to apply evidence-based cessation support tools when quitting and 2) helps smokers to choose smoking cessation support tools that are in line with their personal preferences.
This project is a collaboration between Maastricht University, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care (budgetholder) and the University of Amsterdam.