Clinical Studies

We don’t just follow the established science—we contribute to it, with ongoing studies and papers published in peer-reviewed journals.

We ask the hard questions, design experiments that can answer them, and stick with it until we find what works. What we learn improves Pivot for our users, and the way our users engage with Pivot sets us up for further inquiry. It’s a never-ending cycle of improvement that our physicians and scientists have been sustaining since day one.

We use cutting-edge data science to continuously assess and improve. Who might benefit most from a particular Pivot activity? Which pathways are ideal for someone who’s not quite ready to quit smoking? When is the best time to do a breath sample? All good questions. Luckily, we don’t have to guess at the answers. We have them.

Marketing claims are great and all. But you need to base your decisions on more than promises. That’s why we are continuously conducting research and publishing our findings as part of the peer-reviewed evidence on smoking cessation. Our journal papers are a testament to our commitment to rigorous scientific process and transparency.

Research-based

Our claims are backed by years of clinical research conducted by physicians, clinicians, and behavioral scientists.

Data-driven

We employ complex analytics not only to help frame our research but to continually optimize Pivot.

Peer-reviewed

You can read the evidence yourself. We publish our findings in peer-reviewed journals.

The Pivot Study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) and reported outcomes in 319 smokers who went through the Pivot program. Most (66.5%) were not ready to quit when they started. Typical quit programs request participants to set a quit date as soon as they enter, which means that 66.5% represents smokers who have been ignored by standard programs.

Anyone can quit with Pivot.

At the end of the study, the quit rate for people who entered the study saying they weren’t ready to quit was 32%. Again, that’s for people who said they weren’t ready to quit. That’s a success rate any app- or phone-based program would be thrilled with — and those programs serve only people who enter ready to quit. Pivot truly is for all smokers.

Toward future success

More than a quarter of participants who didn’t quit during the study reduced their daily number of cigarettes by at least half, which is a proven indicator of future quit success. Additionally, while participants rated all components of the program highly, they said the Pivot Breath Sensor was the top reason for their increased motivation to quit.

Read the Study

Our first published study looked at how people respond to the first nine days of Pivot, which focus exclusively on self-monitoring and self-reflection, without any work toward quitting (except for those who want to quit right away). Activities consisted solely of using the Pivot Breath Sensor, doing lessons in the app, and—for those who wanted it—communicating with a coach

Smokers respond to a low-friction approach.

The goal was to see how well smokers would engage with a quit program that didn’t start with quitting. What did we find? More than 80% of participants did daily breath samples and app activities, and 73% communicated with their coach.

In fact, they benefit from it.

At the conclusion of the study, participants reported significant improvements not only in readiness to quit but in their confidence that they would be successful. And 78% had decreased their number of cigarettes smoked per day — again, all without actually attempting to quit. Translation: By the time a Pivot participant is ready to set a quit date, more often than not they’re already well on their way to success.

Read the Study