REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pivot, a behavioral change digital health company, today announced the publication of outcomes from its first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of its digital solution for tobacco cessation. Pivot’s digital platform provides evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions via an easy-to-use app, interactive Breath Sensor, human coaching, nicotine replacement therapy, digital community support, and behavioral science. The study compared Pivot to a United States clinical practice guideline-based smoking cessation smartphone app from the National Cancer Institute (QuitGuide or QG). Pivot participants had significantly higher engagement, net promoter score (NPS), and biovalidated cessation rates at 12 and 26 weeks compared to participants in QG.
“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness, death, and excess health care claims. Helping people quit tobacco is a highly rated preventive service, and the optimal way to deliver this service is via a digital vector,” said David S. Utley, M.D., founder and CEO of Pivot. “In combination with previously published studies, the RCT data demonstrates that Pivot is one of the most effective programs to help people durably quit tobacco.”
The study, published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, evaluated health outcomes in 188 adults six months after enrollment in either the Pivot program or the National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide. Key findings include:
- Biovalidated quit rate at both 12 and 26 weeks was significantly higher in the Pivot arm vs. the control arm.
- The quit rate for Pivot at 12 weeks was 36%, increasing to 38% at 26 weeks. For context, quit rates for a cold turkey quit attempt average 3-5%.
- Pivot users had significantly higher engagement over 12 weeks, opening the app about twice as many times: a mean of 158 in Pivot vs. 87 in control.
- Users favored Pivot with a net promoter score (NPS) of 58 vs. 24 for the control at 26 weeks.
- Pivot participants reduced their cigarettes per day by 62% at 26 weeks, and among those who had not yet quit, participants reported reducing cigarettes smoked by 39%.
“This study, with 6-month outcomes, supports the efficacy and durability of Pivot vs. an accepted control program, and adds to the growing body of evidence identifying an emerging role for digital, app-based interventions for smoking cessation,” said Jennifer D. Marler, M.D., VP Clinical & Medical Affairs at Pivot.
Participants were 21 or older and had smoked at least five cigarettes per day for the past 12 months. They also planned to quit smoking in the next 30 days and had internet access and high comfort levels using smartphones and apps. In addition, participants were offered 12 weeks of free NRT in addition to the use of either Pivot or QuitGuide. The RCT measured outcomes for engagement and retention, attitudes towards quitting smoking, smoking behavior, and participant feedback. The full abstract can be found here.
About Pivot
Pivot is a behavioral change digital health company that empowers individuals to embrace wellness and enables corporations and health plans to improve their population's health. Pivot's first product addresses tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the US. Pivot addresses cessation for all forms of tobacco (combustible, vaporized, and smokeless) and delivers a mobile app experience complete with tailored behavior change content, pharmacotherapy, an FDA-cleared carbon monoxide (CO) breath sensor, a supportive peer community, and a personal tobacco treatment coach. For more information, please visit https://pivot.co/.
