On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Quitx Wellness launches first of its kind an app-based smoking and tobacco cessation program to help users quit smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption.
Quitx, the app has been developed and curated using cognitive-behavioral and nicotine replacement therapies. With the help of the healthcare professionals, Quitx has curated a 90 days cessation program that enables a tobacco user to quit and reduce his nicotine dependence from products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products and even bidis.
Study states that there are a total 266.8 million tobacco users in India out of which 7 per cent use smoking tobacco products, 17 per cent use smokeless tobacco product users, 4 per cent use both the forms.
Due to the lack of awareness about the harm, ingrained cultural attitudes and lack of support for cessation escalates the tobacco use in the community, resulting in more than ten million deaths yearly.
Deprived tobacco cessation advice and support acts as a significant barrier for the implementation of tobacco cessation programs. Two million people enroll for India's quit tobacco programme in a year but 80 per cent of these tobacco users relapse at least once when trying to quit on their own.
"The first step to quitting is by recognizing and acknowledging the level of dependence on tobacco. The foundation of any cessation program is to understand the users dependence on nicotine and willingness to quit. By keeping these two parameters at the center, Quitx will make the quitting journey a lot easier. It's an excellent platform for users who want to go cold turkey but are afraid to do so. It will help them make their choice of going cold turkey easy and stay on course by constantly conversing with them and guiding through the process until they achieve their goal," said Francie Patel, Co-founder of Quitx Wellness.
According to a recent poll-study, 72 per cent of India's exclusive combustible tobacco users between the age group of 18-24 years have attempted to quit smoking during the COVID19 lockdown. In the wake of the current situation, it is essential to empower these users with the right tools and techniques that will enable them to continue their quit journey.
For a high nicotine-dependent user, the probability of him relapsing is very high. If we take advantage of new cessation and harm reduction technologies we can save millions of lives from tobacco-related death.
"Quitx is focused on creating a tailored experience for the smoker during his journey. We understand that every individual's reasons & triggers for using tobacco are different and also their cravings and coping mechsms need to be tailored accordingly. Algorithm-based cognitive-behavioral therapies have been curated with the help of psychologists who understand the behavioural differences and the need for an effective and efficient program that provides real-time support," added Francie.
The start-up is currently doing a pilot with limited audience in Mumbai. It will be soon available on the android and iOS app stores. Quitx uses a very empathetic approach in building these cessation programmes. The program uses various techniques and coping mechsms to engage with the user through in-app interactions.
It also offers personalized virtual counseling and access to a community of users trying to quit tobacco. It focuses on understanding a user's journey, his triggers, his circumstance that led him to his addiction and then curating a quitting or harm reduction programme depending on his own goal.
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( With inputs from ANI )