Tobacco Free Teens

Name: Tobacco Free Teens
Author: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:General Public & EnthusiastsKids & Youth

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

Tobacco Free Teens is an educational app that uses a comic-style format and mini-games to deliver tobacco prevention and cessation information to adolescents, including both smokers and non-smokers. The app was developed as a public health tool to translate the findings from successful, federally funded tobacco control research projects into an accessible mobile format. The associated research frames this approach as a strategy to provide teens with an engaging, evidence-based resource for understanding tobacco risks and supporting cessation efforts.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism Developed by the Tobacco Education Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, this tool delivers tobacco prevention and cessation content to adolescents. The system utilizes a comic-style interface to present modules on health risks, quitting strategies, media literacy, and refusal skills. The user experience is augmented with integrated mini-games and interactive activities designed to reinforce pedagogical objectives and promote engagement with the material. Content is structured to support both current smokers and non-smokers.

Evidence & Research Context

The app was developed by researchers to translate findings from federally funded tobacco control studies into a publicly accessible mobile health tool.
Its design and content are based on the reported successful outcomes of prior research, including Project ASPIRE and Project CASA, which tested interactive educational interventions.
The foundational research leveraged interactive computer technologies and fotonovela-style content in studies with bilingual (English and Spanish) adolescent and young adult participants.

Intended Use & Scope This application is intended for adolescents as a public health educational resource. Its primary utility is to deliver foundational knowledge on tobacco risks and cessation strategies in an engaging format. The system is designed for informational purposes and does not constitute a clinical intervention or replace professional medical guidance for tobacco dependence treatment.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Development/Design Paper

Evidence-Based Tobacco Control Mobile Apps Based on Federally Funded Research Projects

Prokhorov et al. (2019) · Creative Business and Social Innovations for a Sustainable Future

Describes the research-driven development of this app

Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke remain worldwide public health problems. We report results from three studies. Project ASPIRE and Project CASA are for bilingual participants (English and Spanish) utilizing interactive-computer-technologies and printed fotonovelas. Project Team utilized a continuing education training for physicians' and pharmacists' tobacco cessation counseling. Once a health-related research project is complete one of the challenges is to find a way to successfully disseminate this health information to the general public. The increasing popularity of health-related apps and the successful results of our research studies encouraged us to develop a group of evidence-based mobile apps. We developed three mobile apps corresponding to these studies: Tobacco Free Teens, Tobacco Free Family, and QuitMedKit. A fourth mobile app, Vaper Chase, was developed from evidence based data from various sources reflecting the increasing use of e-cigarettes and hookah in the USA and worldwide.

In the Media

Tobacco-Free Teens app helps youth quit smoking

MD Anderson's Alexander Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Behavioral Science, developed the Tobacco-Free Teens app using gaming concepts to help people quit smoking and prevent tobacco use in children and teens. Prokhorov's mission focuses on developing tobacco prevention programs specifically targeted towards young people by creating interactive games and apps for mobile devices. The gaming approach collects research data from patients while delivering educational information to keep people better informed about their health.

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Game on: Tobacco-Free Teens app goes live on iTunes

MD Anderson behavioral scientist Alexander Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D., developed the Tobacco-Free Teens app, now available free on the Apple iTunes Store, to prevent teens from smoking and encourage them to quit. According to Prokhorov, professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, "Our app combines education and entertainment with comics and interactive games." The smoking cessation and prevention program launched publicly on August 8, 2013.

MdandersonRead article