MoMba is a prototype we developed for a social network app for iPhone used in multiple large scale studies lead by Dr. Megan Smith and her team at the Yale Child Study Center. One the studies that used the MoMba app prototype focused on helping women remain smoke free after pregnancy. The prototype uses gamification to encourage continued use, and connects with a Bluetooth CO sensor, allowing study participants to measure the carbon monoxide (CO) level in their breath and unlock rewards for smoking cessation. The publication that appeared in the JMIR mHealth and uHealth journal highlights the potential of this relatively low cost sensor system to help people quit smoking.
In the study, researchers compared the Bluetooth CO sensor that was integrated in the MoMba Live Long prototype with another sensor as well as with the use of urine tests, and they found that the accuracy was comparable.
In the article, the researchers remark that eighty percent of women in the United States who were smokers before their pregnancy relapse within the first year after the birth of their child. Remote smoking cessation interventions, such as the MoMba Live Long app, can play a crucial role in reducing this. For this to work properly, there is a need for reliable smoking measuring instruments, and the study illustrates that this is possible.
You can find the full article here.