Development and usability testing of a mindfulness-based smoking cessation app for adults with low income: “It’s helped me to not react and grab a cigarette”

Adults with low socioeconomic status (SES) experience profound tobacco-related health disparities. This paper describes the development of a mobile application, iQuit Mindfully 2.0, to provide accessible mindfulness training for smoking cessation for adults with low SES. In the initial usability study, adults with low SES who smoked ( N = 16) used the app for 2 weeks and provided feedback through individual interviews, which were coded using NVivo. Participants appreciated that the app was simple and easy to use, relatable and personalized, and taught mindfulness practices for coping with stress and cravings. The app helped them reduce their smoking, develop greater confidence in their ability to cope with cravings, and recover from smoking lapses. Participants suggested ways to increase interactivity and social support, improve smoking behavior tracking, and enhance app esthetics. This feedback will be used to improve the app with the goal of providing accessible smoking cessation treatment for low-SES populations.