The Behavior Change Techniques Used in Canadian Online Smoking Cessation Programs: Content Analysis

Introduction

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death globally. In Canada, 45,000 people die every year due to a tobacco-related illness [1]. Although cigarette smoking has decreased overall in Canada [2], rates of current smoking remain unacceptably high at 15% [3]. In addition, the rise in e-cigarette use has added concerns about nicotine addiction from e-cigarettes that will eventually transfer to smoking [4], and there is some evidence indicating that the increase in e-cigarette use parallels an increase in smoking uptake among younger demographics [5]. Even further, recent evidence indicates that smoking cessation has stalled since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a cross-sectional research study across Australia, Canada, England, and the United States, although nearly 50% of smokers indicated that they were thinking about quitting due to the pandemic, changes in smoking status were marginal: only 1.1% attempted to quit, 14.2% reduced smoking, 14.6% increased smoking, and 70.2% reported no change [6]. This is due, in part, to reduced access to smoking cessation treatment and support. For example, a study of the Ontario STOP smoking program, which transitioned from in-person clinic visits to online visits during the pandemic, found that enrollment decreased by 69% and that there was a 42% drop in visits in the spring of 2020 compared to the previous 2 years [7].

Given that one life can be saved for every two people who quit smoking [8], making cessation supports available and accessible to smokers is critical. Online smoking cessation programs are known for their low costs per smoker, accessibility, availability, and their potential to reach a large proportion of smokers [9]. Given that 75% of Canadians 15 years and older reported an increase in internet use since the pandemic [10], the value of online-based cessation support becomes foregrounded. Although there is evidence to support the efficacy of online cessation programs, especially interactive ones, researchers repeatedly emphasize the need to ensure the quality of these interventions to avoid disappointment and failed quit attempts [11-13]. For example, a systematic review that aimed to examine the efficacy and effect modifiers of eHealth interventions for smoking cessation found that, after pooling findings from 67 web-based cessation programs, compared to nonactive control conditions (eg, print materials, assessment only, or no intervention), web-based programs were significantly more effective at 6 months [13]. However, the authors also cautioned that the quality of the web-based programs modified the effect of the program (poorer quality programs yielded fewer positive outcomes) [13].

One way to establish and assess the quality of online smoking cessation interventions is by articulating the behavior change techniques (BCTs) that form the basis of a program’s content [14]. The BCT taxonomy provides a list of methods that could be used in a program to yield behavior change [14-16] (Table 1). The BCTTv1 taxonomy consists of 93 BCTs in 16 categories that address the different targets of behavior change, including capability, opportunity, and motivation [17,18]. The benefit of web-based intervention programs is maximized when the BCTs included have been shown to be effective. For example, in England, researchers were able to identify BCTs that were associated with cessation success rates in local smoking cessation services [19]. This subsequently informed guidance on service provision and learning objectives in training courses, which was associated with increased success rates of smokers who were engaged in these services [20]. Therefore, articulating the BCTs used in smoking cessation programming is of utmost importance to understand what works for whom and how.

The Canadian government funds a comprehensive set of online provincial and national smoking cessation programs. However, little is known about how these programs are designed to influence smoking cessation behavior in relation to the BCTs and subsequently how to leverage strengths and address weaknesses. Understanding this is critical, especially in the context of an increasingly complex tobacco use landscape, so that we can reach the national goal of less than 5% tobacco use by 2035 [1]. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to apply the BCTTv1 taxonomy to Canadian provincial and federal websites and determine which BCTs they use.

Methods

Data Collection

Government-funded websites were found using Google search phrases, such as “smoking cessation Canada provinces and territories” and “smoking cessation federal Canada.” We also searched each individual province with the phrase “smoking cessation.” The exclusion criteria included websites that only had telephone numbers, websites intended for use outside of Canada, websites with information but not interventions (eg, fact sheets), and websites with only government legislation pages (eg, tobacco control acts). The first 10 pages of the search were scanned for provincial and federal smoking cessation websites. Provincial and federal government health websites were entered to find the hyperlinks for tailored websites on provincial or national smoking cessation. Provinces and territories that did not show up in the Google scan were individually searched. The search yielded 6 provinces and 3 territories with tailored websites, in addition to 1 website designed to provide cessation information for a combination of 4 provinces and 1 territory. Furthermore, 2 federal websites were identified, resulting in a total of 12 websites.

Data Analysis

We used deductive content analysis to determine which BCTs were used in the 12 programs. Deductive content analysis is the process of applying data to a pre-existing framework [21]. All three researchers were familiar with the BCT taxonomy, and one researcher was trained through the BCT online training course, the latter of which did the primary coding of the websites. Through the creation of a document detailing the decision-making processes around applying the BCT taxonomy to each website, a clear audit trail was generated and frequently consulted by the larger team. Points of confusion were discussed, and consensus was reached through consultation with the BCT taxonomy descriptions and the relevant website section.

Results

Website Details

The 12 websites represented in this paper include QuitNow (BC), Alberta Quits (AB), Tobacco Free Quebec (QC), New Brunswick Anti-Tobacco Coalition (NB), Tobacco Free Nova Scotia (NS), Smokers Help (NL), Nunavut Quits (NU), Quitpath (YT), North West Territories Quitline (NT), Canadian Cancer Society Smokers’ Helpline (YT, SK, MB, ON, and PE), Quit Smoking (federal), and Break It Off (federal). All 12 websites addressed combustible cigarettes when discussing nicotine cessation. A total of 10 websites included information on vaping, and 6 websites included information on smokeless tobacco, which encompasses both shisha/hookah and chewing tobacco. Only five websites included informational tabs tailored to specific populations. The specific populations addressed ranged from broader categories, such as women, teens/youth, and older adults, to narrower categories, such as First Nations/Inuit/Metis, pregnant and breastfeeding individuals, individuals with mental illness, and individuals with a cancer diagnosis.

All 12 websites had some method of direct contact support for users: 12 websites offered phone support, 6 offered email support, and 5 offered text support. In addition, the 2 federal websites provided links to the 10 provincial and territorial websites for local support. A total of 9 websites had some type of online community. There were a variety of online communities: Facebook (n=8), Twitter (n=6), Instagram (n=4), YouTube (n=2), website forum (n=4), and 1 website offering a video call online support group. The structure of the websites varied following the number of tabs on the home page. The topics of the tabs included the following: quitting (why quit and how to quit), staying quit, community/support, helping others quit, resources, special concerns, contact, and feedback. The number of tabs on each website included 3 tabs (n=4), 4 tabs (n=3), 6 tabs (n=2), 7 tabs (n=1), 2 tabs (n=1), and 5 tabs (n=1).

BCT Category Representation

The number of BCT categories used in a single website ranged from 5 to 13, with an average of 11 (SD 2.01; see Table 2). All 12 websites include the BCT categories goals and planning, social support, natural consequences, and regulation. This meant that at least one BCT in each of those categories was included in all 12 websites. The least represented categories (in six or fewer websites) included feedback and monitoring, comparison of behavior, and self-belief. The two BCT categories not represented at all include scheduled consequences and covert learning.

BCT Representation and Implementation

The number of BCTs used in a single website ranged from 8 to 33, with an average of 21.91 (SD 5.85). The number of BCTs represented within each category varied. For example, 5 of the 9 BCTs under goals and planning were used. The ways in which each BCT was implemented also varied within the websites. For example, although all 12 websites used goal-setting (behavior), this BCT was implemented in variable manners (eg, setting a quit date, setting goals for cigarette consumption, or taking a readiness quiz and taking an addiction test to shape a quit plan). The complete representation of the BCTs is listed in Textbox 1 along with a list of ways in which the BCTs were implemented.

Discussion

Principal Findings

This is the first study to apply the BCT taxonomy to Canadian government-funded smoking cessation websites. This analysis enables unique comparison and education on a national scale. One major benefit of this analysis is that it provides a framework for understanding which BCTs are used across the nation and how; this provides individual programmers with ideas for strengthening their websites, enables the identification of priority BCTs to include in Canadian cessation programming, and offers a foundation for evaluating strengths and weaknesses in the programs.

Although understanding the overall BCT categories that are being used is helpful and directs programmers to the most widely used BCTs, the granular analysis of BCTs used within each category provides a window into the nuances of how a BCT category and BCT can be executed in an online program. For example, although the BCT information on health consequences under the natural consequences BCT category is used in all 12 websites, its use varied (some provided a text-based list of negative health impacts, while others provided an interactive diagram). This not only cues programmers to the importance of including this BCT in their program but also provides them with ideas for expanding and innovating how to incorporate this BCT in their program (eg, incorporating interactive features).

This analysis also closes a major methodological gap in analyzing provincial and national websites aimed at addressing the same health behavior (smoking). Applying the taxonomy in this context enabled the ability to analyze complicated (ie, nuanced, complex, comprehensive, and tailored) websites, which provides an accessible understanding of the underlying mechanisms that underpin the content to lend to behavior change. In simpler terms, the analysis reveals “how” these websites function.

Further, this analysis provides an evaluation framework for smoking cessation websites. Few websites are evaluated for their effect on behavior change, possibly because websites are more comprehensive and nuanced compared to a single intervention. The first step to investigating the association between the content of the websites and smoking outcomes is the need for a reliable method to describe the content [22]. In this vein, the findings of this study provide researchers with an evaluation framework to investigate the effects of these initiatives. For example, by mapping out the strategies that an individual website uses with regard to the BCT taxonomy and comparing that to the national compilation provided here, researchers could develop survey or interview questions surrounding user experiences with those strategies and if they lent to smoking reduction/cessation. In sum, the findings provide researchers with an evaluation framework that can be used to explore strengths and weaknesses of each technique used within a website with end users, informing what techniques work for whom and how.

Attention to the most widely used (represented in all 12 websites) BCT categories and their associated BCTs is warranted. The most widely used included goals and planning, social support, natural consequences, and regulation. Previous research evidence supports use of most of these BCTs to lend to higher cessation rates. In one study that examined BCT categories used in online interventions and mobile-based interventions and their association with cessation rates, the authors found that five BCT categories were linked to higher cessation rates [23]. These included goals and planning (eg, advice on coping), reward and threat (eg, self-rewards), regulation (eg, advice on pharmacotherapy), antecedents (eg, advice on changing routines), and identity (eg, supporting identity change of being an ex-smoker) [23]. In a study that included 6 online smoking cessation websites evaluated for their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and theoretical underpinnings (use of BCTs), the effects indicated that smokers using an online cessation intervention are 1.15 to 2.84 times more likely to become a former smoker compared to the control condition. The majority of the interventions used most, if not all, of these five BCT categories [11]. Finally, in a recent systematic review and meta-regression analysis of BCT categories and BCTs associated with smoking cessation in smoking cessation trials, the authors found 29 individual BCTs as potentially important predictors of smoking cessation in at least one analysis (controlling for total BCTs in one) [24]. Of these, three consistently predicted higher smoking cessation rates and included goals and planning (prompting commitment), reward and threat (social reward), and identity (identity associated with changed behavior) [24]. These results, in combination with this study’s findings, add to a growing body of evidence that supports focusing, expanding, and innovating the use of these BCT categories and their associated BCTs within provincial and national websites.

The findings also highlight areas for improvement and ideas for how improvements could be made by listing the full range of ways in which the BCTs were implemented across the websites. According to the findings and in comparison with previous research findings, there is room to grow with regard to ensuring consistent use of the most effective BCT categories nationwide. Specifically, the BCT categories reward and threat and identity were not included in all websites despite evidence that these categories contribute to higher cessation rates [13,23,24]. In addition, the list of ways in which the BCTs were implemented offers smoking cessation website programmers with the ability to test out and prioritize ideas about how they might want to incorporate and expand on the BCT categories for their individual program. In short, the BCTs ensure the quality of the web-based programs.

It is well-established in the smoking cessation literature that interactive features and tailored content lends to higher user engagement, which subsequently lends to higher cessation success outcomes [25-27]. In this regard, the use of BCTs alone are likely not enough. Instead, making the BCTs as engaging and as tailored as possible is another necessary step forward. For example, sharing health consequences in the form of a text-based list will not likely engage an end user as much as an interactive and graphical map that displays how different parts of the body are impacted by smoking.

Limitations

There are a few limitations to this study that must be noted. First, the BCT taxonomy is vast and complex, requiring training to be well versed in understanding them. Although this research team consisted of a member who engaged in BCT training, interpreting which BCT applies to which web content may result in subjective nuances in representation. In addition, some website sections in Quebec were in the French language and required the use of Google Translate, possibly limiting the appropriateness of the content’s translation. Second, some website sections could not be accessed without creating an account and were therefore not included in the analysis, meaning that some BCT categories or BCTs were missed or not represented. Some websites also had accompanying resources (eg, account-based features); the use of BCTs in these resources was not assessed, which adds a layer of complexity. Third, the top BCTs found in Canadian websites may not be appropriate for international contexts due to differences in policies, laws, and tobacco use and cessation attitudes. Fourth, different BCTs may be more prevalent for different topics (eg, nutrition); therefore, BCT analyses should be specific to the topic at hand and should be analyzed and applied according to the needs of the behavior being investigated. Fifth, the success rates of each individual website (eg, based on user traffic) remains unknown; hence, it is difficult to make any assertions about how effective these websites are in relation to the BCTs without further evaluation. Sixth, the websites may have changed since the time of the analysis. Finally, websites were evaluated on just one occasion; for a more comprehensive assessment, each website/service would have to be used across multiple occasions (eg, as a quitter would use it).

Conclusion

Analyzing the BCTs that underpin government-funded smoking cessation websites in Canada is an appropriate method for identifying strengths and weaknesses in these programs for influencing the target behavior of quitting smoking. The findings offer programmers and researchers with tangible directions for prioritizing and enhancing provincial and national smoking cessation programs, and an evaluation framework to assess smoking cessation outcomes in relation to the web-based content. The findings would benefit from being included in national conversations around how to implement and evaluate evidence-based smoking cessation support nationwide.