I chose My QuitBuddy app because it’s recommended by many smokers on Play store who said that this app helped them stop smoking. It is also very easy to use and contains scientific facts about the effects of cigarette smoke on our organs and it also provides useful quit tips. Moreover, it counts the smoke-free days and the amount of money that could be saved after a certain period of quitting. I engaged with this app three times a day (after meals) because that is when I usually have my cigarette and I spend 15 minutes each time reading about the negative effects of smoking explained by the app. I gave the app a DISCERN score of 48 which means there are some shortcomings, such as not mentioning when the information used was produced, not referring …show more content…
This app makes me aware of my susceptibility to illness and severity of illness because half of smokers will die of a smoking-related disease such as lung cancer which causes death in many cases. In addition, it provides information about benefits and costs of health behaviors. For example, in 5 years of quitting, my risk of a stroke has dramatically decreased but there are possible withdrawal symptoms that can be hard to cope with. This app provokes positive emotional responses by showing me how my health is improving with each passing smoke-free day. It also elicits negative emotional responses by presenting information on risks associated with smoking such as cancer. This is a good idea as it keeps me away from cigarettes because it raises my awareness of the risks of smoking and the benefits of …show more content…
First, this app does not assess willingness to quit and it is very important to do so as it determines whether the individual is at the contemplation stage (Acknowledging the problem but not sure wanting to change) or the preparation stage (The individual is ready to change) of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM).Second, it does not assess nicotine dependence ( use of Fagerstrom score) and that is significant to get the individual out of the pre-contemplation stage of TTM when he has not even acknowledged the problem as he will eventually acknowledge it once he knows that he is nicotine-dependent. Third, this app does not provoke very strong negative emotional responses by providing pictures of people who have lung cancer, mouth cancer or other forms of cancer that are caused by smoking. These pictures raise the risk perception of individuals and enhance their motivation to quit