A new data-tracking device may provide more insight to help people quit smoking.
The device, worn around a person's neck, tracks heat and can detect when someone lights a cigarette.
It also provides information about how many puffs a person takes and the frequency of those puffs.
Nabil Alshurafa, professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said data can help determine what triggers a person to smoke, whether it's a time or day or a specific action.
"This allows us to test timely interventions," he said.
The device's developers want to make it even smaller and look like jewelry before putting it on the market for public use. They anticipate the device being available in the next few years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. The agency notes that smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases and various other ailments.
"Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure," the CDC states.
