<b><i>Supporting data for </i></b>"Real-world evaluation of a chatbot for promoting the reach and accessibility of a smoking cessation service"

Chatbots present as a promising yet understudied platform for supporting smoking cessation and recruiting smokers into cessation programs. "Dr. Wise", a WhatsApp-based chatbot, was developed by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation (ICSC) in collaboration with the HKU Smoking Cessation Team to assist with regular recruitment. This project evaluated the feasibility of using "Dr. Wise" to promote the reach of ICSC services and explored the interaction between users and counselors via the live chat channel, which was embedded in "Dr. Wise".From May 2021 to June 2022, 3074 smokers were enrolled in the ICSC, of whom 123 (4.0%) utilized "Dr. Wise". Users of "Dr. Wise" were significantly younger and more likely to receive pharmacotherapy compared to non-users. Moreover, using "Dr. Wise" was positively associated with long-term abstinence. From May 2021 to November 2022, 122 valid dialogues were collected from the live chat. Topic modeling revealed that the live chat channel effectively supported users by providing relapse prevention support, connecting users with clinics, and addressing concerns related to ongoing pharmacotherapy. Sentiment analysis indicated a higher prevalence of positive sentiment expressions in users' and counselors' messages. Notably, negative sentiment used in both parties' messages was positively associated with user engagement. Overall, the findings suggested that "Dr. Wise" helped ICSC reach diverse populations and that the built-in live chat channel provided users with additional benefits.聊天机器人（Chatbots）是支持戒烟服务、招募吸烟者参与戒烟项目的极具潜力但尚未得到充分研究的平台。名为"Dr. Wise"的 WhatsApp 平台聊天机器人，由东华三院戒烟综合中心（Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation, ICSC）与香港大学（HKU）戒烟团队合作开发，旨在协助开展常态化招募工作。本项目评估了使用"Dr. Wise"推广该中心服务覆盖范围的可行性，并探究了内嵌于"Dr. Wise"的实时聊天频道中用户与戒烟咨询师的互动情况。2021年5月至2022年6月期间，共有3074名吸烟者注册加入东华三院戒烟综合中心的服务，其中123人（占比4.0%）使用了"Dr. Wise"。与未使用"Dr. Wise"的吸烟者相比，使用该聊天机器人的用户年龄显著更低，且更倾向于接受药物戒烟治疗。此外，使用"Dr. Wise"与长期戒烟戒断率呈显著正相关关系。2021年5月至2022年11月期间，研究团队从实时聊天频道中共收集到122条有效对话记录。主题建模分析结果显示，该实时聊天频道可通过提供复吸预防指导、协助用户对接线下门诊以及解答持续药物戒烟治疗相关疑问，为用户提供有效支持。情感分析结果表明，用户与咨询师的聊天信息中，积极情感表达的占比更高。值得注意的是，双方聊天信息中使用的负面情感表达与用户参与度呈显著正相关。总体而言，研究结果表明，"Dr. Wise"助力东华三院戒烟综合中心覆盖了更多样化的人群，而内嵌的实时聊天频道也为用户带来了额外的服务收益。