A GROUNDBREAKING new study is testing an AI-powered smartphone app designed to help pregnant smokers quit, leveraging social support and adaptive reinforcement learning to improve outcomes. Smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern, increasing risks for both mother and baby, but mobile health solutions show promise in supporting cessation efforts. Researchers have developed SmokeFree Together 2.0 (SFT 2.0), a smartphone-based intervention that combines AI-driven coaching with personalized support from family, friends, or coworkers.
This innovative app not only tracks motivation and cravings but also adapts in real time, using reinforcement learning to determine when a user needs additional counseling support. The randomized controlled trial, conducted at Michigan State University, will recruit 300 pregnant smokers and their self-nominated supporters, dividing them into two groups: one receiving the AI-driven intervention with tailored support and the other assigned to a control group. Participants will be monitored throughout pregnancy and for six months postpartum, with success measured by biochemically verified tobacco abstinence.
The study’s central hypothesis is that the AI-powered app, combined with peer support, will improve smoking cessation rates during pregnancy and help maintain long-term abstinence after childbirth. This research builds on previous findings that social support plays a crucial role in quitting success, integrating it with cutting-edge mobile technology to create a more personalized and responsive intervention.
The trial’s results could shape the future of digital health interventions for pregnancy smoking cessation, providing a scalable, AI-enhanced alternative to traditional counseling programs. If successful, the SFT 2.0 app could become a game-changer in maternal health, reducing smoking-related complications and improving outcomes for both mothers and their newborns.
Reference: Blaga OM et al. Smartphone intervention for pregnancy smoking cessation with peer support: the study protocol of the SmokeFree Together 2.0 (SFT 2.0) randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2025;15:e100259.
Anaya Malik | AMJ
