PAHO officially launched the Spanish version of Florencia, the Artificial Intelligence-based virtual assistant designed to help smokers quit smoking.
Last year the World Health Organization presented Florencia (Florence), a virtual health assistance toolthat, through Artificial Intelligence, guides people to form habits to achieve a life without smoking. On February 8, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced the official launch of Florencia, the Spanish-language version of this tool.
This action responds to the need for the campaign and the tool to be used by more people, and is also part of the campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2021, which is celebrated on May 31 as every year. Under the slogan: "Commit to quitting tobacco", PAHO/WHO seeks to highlight the importance of creating enabling environments to encourage people to quit tobacco, promoting public policies that encourage cessation", explains PAHO in the official announcement.
Florencia guides users through a text or audio conversation, informing them about proven techniques and tools to avoid or definitively quit tobacco use. This Digital Health tool works through AI that generates responses to the interactions of those who use it.
Additionally, it offers information on services recommended by the WHO to quit smoking, such as telephone lines or mobile applications. The main recommendations for smoking cessation are classified into four steps: “set a specific quit day as soon as possible; tell friends, family, and work colleagues; anticipate possible obstacles that may arise; and eliminate any tobacco products from the immediate environment.”
Some of the benefits of quitting smoking are also explained by Florencia as the conversation flowed, among them are the decrease in blood pressure 20 minutes after smoking, as well as the level of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream returns to normal after 12 hours without smoking and between 2- and 12-weeks circulation and lung function improves significantly.
In addition, smoking has also been linked to COVID-19 mortality. Access a conversation with Florencia through the following link: https://www.paho.org/es/temas/prevencion-control-tabaco/florencia-recurso-digital-que-ayuda-dejar-fumar-tabaco
