Effective Behavior Change Techniques in Digital Health Interventions for the Prevention or Management of Noncommunicable Diseases: An Umbrella Review


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Date

2023-10

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

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Data

Abstract

Background Despite an abundance of digital health interventions (DHIs) targeting the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), it is unclear what specific components make a DHI effective. Purpose This narrative umbrella review aimed to identify the most effective behavior change techniques (BCTs) in DHIs that address the prevention or management of NCDs. Methods Five electronic databases were searched for articles published in English between January 2007 and December 2022. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews or meta-analyses of DHIs targeting the modification of one or more NCD-related risk factors in adults. BCTs were coded using the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy v1. Study quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2. Results Eighty-five articles, spanning 12 health domains and comprising over 865,000 individual participants, were included in the review. We found evidence that DHIs are effective in improving health outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and asthma, and health-related behaviors including physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet, weight management, medication adherence, and abstinence from substance use. There was strong evidence to suggest that credible source, social support, prompts and cues, graded tasks, goals and planning, feedback and monitoring, human coaching and personalization components increase the effectiveness of DHIs targeting the prevention and management of NCDs. Conclusions This review identifies the most common and effective BCTs used in DHIs, which warrant prioritization for integration into future interventions. These findings are critical for the future development and upscaling of DHIs and should inform best practice guidelines.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

57 (10)

Pages / Article No.

817 - 835

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Digital health; Intervention components; Behavior change technique; Lifestyle behaviors; mHealth; eHealth

Organisational unit

03681 - Fleisch, Elgar / Fleisch, Elgar check_circle
08058 - Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) / Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC)

Notes

Funding

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