March 8, 2011 10:42 pm EDT

Research suggests text messaging could help smokers quit

We've heard plenty about the perils of cellphones in general and text messaging in particular, but are there some instances where it might actually be good for your health? Well, sort of. Some researchers at the University of Oregon and a few other participating institutions have now found a way to pinpoint the areas of the brain that are most active in controlling the urges to smoke, and they say that information can also be predictive of real-world behavior and the individuals' ability to respond to various smoking cessation programs. One of those such programs tested by the researchers involved sending eight text messages a day to an individual, which they had to reply to in order to document their cravings, mood and cigarette use. That's similar to other programs that rely on a dedicated device to collect data (which have been shown to be effective in helping smokers quit), but the researchers found that using text messages proved to be at least as effective, and is obviously a simpler and cheaper solution.

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