scholarly journals Content analysis of behavior change techniques in popular mobile apps for smoking cessation in France. (Preprint)

10.2196/26082 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Bustamante ◽  
Cédric Gill Ménard ◽  
Sabrina Julien ◽  
Lucia Romo
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Struik ◽  
Danielle Rodberg ◽  
Ramona Sharma

BACKGROUND Smoking rates in Canada remain unacceptably high, and cessation rates have stalled in recent years. Online cessation programs, touted for their ability to reach many different populations anytime, have shown promise in their efficacy. The Government of Canada has therefore funded provincial and national smoking cessation websites across the country. However, little is known about the behavior change techniques (BCTs) that underpin the content of these websites, which is key to establishing the quality of the websites, as well as a way forward for evaluation. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study, therefore, was to apply the BCTTv1 taxonomy to Canadian provincial and federal websites and determine which BCTs they use. METHODS A total of 12 government-funded websites across Canada were included for analysis. Using deductive content analysis, and through training in applying the BCTTv1 taxonomy, the website content was coded according to the 93 BCTs across the 16 BCT categories. RESULTS Of the 16 BCT categories, 14 were present within the websites. The most widely represented BCT categories (used in all 12 websites) included: 1. Goals and planning, 3. Social support, 5. Natural consequences, and 11. Regulation. The most saturated BCT categories (those most heavily used) included: 10. Reward and threat, 12. Antecedents, 1. Goals and planning, and 5. Natural consequences. Implementation of BCTs within these categories varied across the sites. CONCLUSIONS This study addresses a critical gap in knowledge around the behavior change techniques that underpin government-funded smoking cessation websites in Canada. The findings offer programmers and researchers with tangible directions for prioritizing and enhancing provincial and national smoking cessation programs, and an evaluation framework to assess smoking cessation outcomes in relation to the web-based content.


Author(s):  
Elena Panagiotopoulou ◽  
Celeste Peiris ◽  
Daniel Hayes

Abstract Despite the high prevalence of self-harm among young people, as well as their extensive use of mobile apps for seeking support with their mental healthcare, it is unclear whether the design of mobile apps aimed at targeting self-harm is underpinned by behavior change techniques (BCTs). To systematically analyze and identify (a) what BCTs and (b) what theories are present in self-harm apps for young people in an attempt to understand their active components. Systematic searches in Apple store, followed by thorough screening, were conducted to identify free mobile apps targeting self-harm in young people. Five apps met the inclusion criteria and were used by trained researchers, who coded identified features against the BCT Taxonomy V1. Despite the majority of apps being underpinned by principles of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), no other information is available about specific theories underpinning these apps. Nineteen of the 93 BCTs were identified across the five apps. The most frequently used BCT was “Distraction” (54.2%), offering ideas for activities to distract users from self-harming. Other techniques that were used often were “Social Support (unspecified)” (27.0%) and “Behavior Substitution” (10.6%). This study provides the first analysis of BCTs present in mental health apps which are designed to target the reduction of self-harm in young people. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the apps, as well as assess the effectiveness of the BCTs present.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Noguez And Michael Gonzalez

  Despite the ubiquity of smartphone ownership and the increasing integration of social engagement features in smoking cessation apps to engage users, thesocial engagement features that exist in current smoking cessation apps and how effective these social features are in engaging users remain unclear. To fill the gap in the literature, a content analysis of free and paid smoking cessation mobile apps isconducted to examine a) the presence of socialengagement features(e.g., social support, social announcement, social referencing) and non-social engagement features (e.g., personal environmental changes, goal setting), and b) their relationship with user ratingsand engagement scores (e.g., Mobile App rating scale [MARS]). The findings will not only extend the mobile health apps engagement typology,but also inform smoking cessation mobile apps design.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Thornton ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
Louise Birrell ◽  
Ashleigh Guillaumier ◽  
Brad Shaw ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J Lyons ◽  
Zakkoyya H Lewis ◽  
Brian G Mayrsohn ◽  
Jennifer L Rowland

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 649-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Conroy ◽  
Chih-Hsiang Yang ◽  
Jaclyn P. Maher

10.2196/12768 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. e12768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys Lai Cheng Chia ◽  
Angelika Anderson ◽  
Louise Anne McLean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Düking ◽  
Marie Tafler ◽  
Birgit Wallmann-Sperlich ◽  
Billy Sperlich ◽  
Sonja Kleih

BACKGROUND Decreasing levels of physical activity (PA) increase the incidences of noncommunicable diseases, obesity, and mortality. To counteract these developments, interventions aiming to increase PA are urgently needed. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions such as wearable sensors (wearables) may assist with an improvement in PA. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine which behavior change techniques (BCTs) are incorporated in currently available commercial high-end wearables that target users’ PA behavior. METHODS The BCTs incorporated in 5 different high-end wearables (Apple Watch Series 3, Garmin Vívoactive 3, Fitbit Versa, Xiaomi Amazfit Stratos 2, and Polar M600) were assessed by 2 researchers using the BCT Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). Effectiveness of the incorporated BCTs in promoting PA behavior was assessed by a content analysis of the existing literature. RESULTS The most common BCTs were goal setting (behavior), action planning, review behavior goal(s), discrepancy between current behavior and goal, feedback on behavior, self-monitoring of behavior, and biofeedback. Fitbit Versa, Garmin Vívoactive 3, Apple Watch Series 3, Polar M600, and Xiaomi Amazfit Stratos 2 incorporated 17, 16, 12, 11, and 11 BCTs, respectively, which are proven to effectively promote PA. CONCLUSIONS Wearables employ different numbers and combinations of BCTs, which might impact their effectiveness in improving PA. To promote PA by employing wearables, we encourage researchers to develop a taxonomy specifically designed to assess BCTs incorporated in wearables. We also encourage manufacturers to customize BCTs based on the targeted populations.


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