Study: Text messages help smokers quit

LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Smokers attempting to kick the habit are twice as likely to succeed if they receive supportive text messages, British researchers say.

A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine followed 5,800 smokers as they attempted to quit, with one group being sent motivational text messages as another group received "placebo texts" thanking them for participating in the study, USA Today reported Friday.

Six months after quitting, the study participants were tested for cotinine, a substance found in nicotine. Those receiving the motivational texts were twice as likely to still be smoke-free, the study found.

Smokers reported the messages helped them through the quitting process, researchers said.

"It made them feel less isolated while they tried to quit," lead researcher Caroline Free said.