Tuberculosis (TB) patients who smoke will recover far more quickly if they can quit - and help could come from their mobile phones, according to new research. As part of RESPIRE's Quit4TB trial, patients were sent encouraging and supportive text messages to see if it would help them to quit smoking more quickly.The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), revealed that nearly three times the number of participants who received text messages quit smoking for six months, compared to participants receiving the standard printed information.Kamran Siddiqi, one of the Principal Investigators (PIs) on the study said,We know that people who quit smoking can recover from TB faster, so we tested whether sending encouraging and supportive text messages could help patients quit more quickly than the usual written advice.The study took place across Bangladesh and Pakistan, and included 1080 people with access to a mobile phone who had TB. Of the 1080 participants, 720 received text messages to encourage quitting daily for two months, then monthly for four months. The remaining 360 participants received standard printed information about quitting smoking.The results are impressive, with a huge difference in quitting success rates between the groups. We found that more than 41% of the text-message group quit smoking for six months, compared to only just over 15% of the usual-care group. Also, the text-message groups had lower death rates, 3.5%, than the usual-care group which recorded a 7.5% death rate. Kamran Siddiqi Project PI and Professor of Public Health in the Hull York Medical School The Quit4TB team believe that the text-message method is both effective and a practical way to help people give up smoking when they need to most - ie. when they’re being treated for TB, and it could be a particularly useful method where resources are scarce. Smoking adversely affects TB outcomes, prolongs recovery, and increases morbidity.Integrating mHealth approaches into TB treatment programs can offer sustained support, be cost-effective, and reach patients where they are — on their mobile phones. Maham Zahid First author and Research Fellow / Quantitative Research Coordinator, The Initiative This method of patient help could be particularly useful where face-to-face smoking cessation services are non-existent. Sending mobile phone messages offers a cheap and effective way of helping people to quit at scale.The study shows that this approach not only prevents other tobacco related conditions including cancer and heart diseases but also saves lives in the short-term by reducing TB-related deaths. Kamran Siddiqi Project PI and Professor of Public Health in the Hull York Medical School Read the research summary, published to JAMA Read the full paper, published to JAMA Further reading Quit4TB Trial This project is based at ARK in Bangladesh & TI in Pakistan. BLOG: Fighting TB on the Frontlines: Voices from the Ground Abdullah Muhammad Rafi explores the realities of being a Tuberculosis & Leprosy Controller Assistant in Bangladesh Publication date 06 Jan, 2026
