Table 1 Descriptions of the comprehensive smoking cessation intervention

● Development of WHO 5A based group counselling materials including smoking cessation guidelines and training modules;

● Training team leaders;

● Team leaders conducted group counselling for smokers:

 ✓ Group counselling once per week: 10 to 15 min each time;

 ✓ 5As (‘Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange’) and 5Rs (Relevance, Risks, Rewards, Roadblocks, Repeated) for participants not willing to quit;

 ✓ The first follow-up visit within the first week of initiation of smoking cessation and since then once every two weeks.

A multifunctional background interface to deliver tobacco-related text, picture or video messages to help smokers to quit every 2 weeks;

A real-time chat room for participants to seek assistance from the team leaders, and share quitting experiences with other participants;

Team leaders conducted tobacco-related counseling for participants without WeChat once a week;

● Posters, pamphlets, leaflets, videos;

● Open lectures