Emma, a 20-year-old student, recently decided to quit smoking by going cold turkey. Like many people who smoke, she found it hard to manage her cravings, and often gave in when there was a lack of support. Between her studies and part-time job, Emma doesn’t have the time or resources for an intensive coaching program. She needs a solution that is flexible, engaging, and fits into her busy life.
What if quitting could feel more achievable and less isolating? What if Emma had a digital tool to distract herself during cravings, help her stay focused on her goals, and connect with others going through the same journey?
Detour: A Tool Designed with and for Smoking Youth
Contrary to popular belief, young people are motivated to quit smoking. In 2022, 40% of smoking youth (18-25 years) in the Netherlands made a serious attempt to quit [1]. As health practitioners, we know that early intervention is key in preventing long-term nicotine dependence and harmful health consequences. Yet, most existing methods are designed for adults and often miss the mark with younger audiences—they can feel uninspiring, irrelevant, or simply inaccessible.
To address these gaps, we went back to the drawing board, intending to design an intervention suited to youth that is grounded in theory and focused on user engagement. However, we could not do justice to the design without accounting for the experiences and needs of the target group. We conducted multiple rounds of iterative design, guided by qualitative research through focus groups and qualitative questionnaires. We also invited youth advisors (members of our target group) to our design team and held weekly brainstorming and feedback sessions with them. Our iterative design process resulted in Detour, a multi-component smartphone application to help young people quit smoking. The components of Detour are:
- The Runner
We gamified the go/no-go training through an endless runner game (think Temple Run or Subway Surfers). Players have to jump through blue billboards that always have neutral images, and not jump through yellow billboards that always have smoking-related images. The go/no-go training helps reduce the perceived positive value and increase the perceived negative value of smoking stimuli. Players also play in a team with others who quit smoking on the same day as them, to foster a sense of community. Points from individual players go to their team scores, helping the team advance to higher levels.
- Trackers
When players install Detour, they are invited to create a stop plan in which they can choose their motivation for quitting smoking and set actionable goals which they can track daily. - Check-ins and Personalisation
Users fill in “check-ins” during the first two weeks, so we learn when they typically crave cigarettes. We use this information to send them push notification reminders to distract themselves using Detour in these high-craving moments. - Social Shell
Players are invited to join our private “social shell” hosted on Instagram. Our team posts psychoeducational content about smoking, quitting, and withdrawal to better prepare and equip users for smoking cessation. Each team also has a group chat on Instagram where they can discuss game strategy and talk about their quit journey. Through these chats, we hope to encourage peer-to-peer support and feelings of accountability.
Through Detour, we aim to offer an accessible, engaging, and flexible solution for young people who are serious about quitting but need something that respects autonomy (use as-you-like), is easily available during difficult moments (in-the-pocket), and is fun and engaging through the use of gamification. We are currently running a randomized controlled trial in a large group of smoking youth to test the efficacy of Detour. Stay tuned for more!
Are You Ready to Quit?
If you’re aged 16-25 and ready to start your quit journey, join our study and receive one of two methods to help you quit smoking. More information is available here or on our Instagram @jongerensmr.
Are You a Health Professional?
If you work with Dutch youth and are interested in helping us recruit participants for this study, please reach out to us at jongeren.smr@ru.nl. Together, we can support a new generation in breaking free from smoking.
This blog was written by Suhaavi Kochhar (Radboud University) for RAD-blog, the blog about smoking, alcohol, drugs and diet.
References
[1] Trimbos Instituut. (2023). Cijfers roken. Trimbos-instituut. https://www.trimbos.nl/kennis/cijfers/roken/
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