Decrease in Resting Heart Rate Measured Using Smartphone Apps to Verify Abstinence From Smoking: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Remote verification of self-reported abstinence in smoking cessation studies remains challenging. Smoking abstinence has been shown to decrease resting HR under laboratory conditions. This study demonstrated that self-recording using freely available smartphone apps shows reliable decreases in resting HR during smoking abstinence and may provide a basis for inexpensive remote verification of smoking abstinence.