New WeChat groups offer support for smoking cessation

An online intiative aimed to offer support for smoking cessation is launched in Shanghai on Dec 18, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shanghai residents looking to quit smoking have been encouraged to join newly launched support groups on WeChat where doctors and psychologists can provide round-the-clock professional advice.

Launched on Wednesday, the online initiative is the result of a cooperation between Shanghai Pilot Health Promotion Center and the Shanghai Association of Tobacco Control. According to the project organizers, the online groups will be able to support 5,000 people.

Besides advice from doctors and psychologists, members of these groups will also be able to access scientific information and medication related to smoking cessation for free.

Following a trial run of the project which started in June, four out of the 500 participants have stopped smoking for at least 100 consecutive days.

Li Jian, 31, who has stopped smoking since joining such a WeChat group in June, said that he received strong support from the psychologist in the group.

"She kept reminding me to think more of my family in various ways whenever I revealed that I felt the urge to smoke. That really worked for me," said Li, a father of two children who had been smoking for 12 years.