{"id":426086,"date":"2026-06-15T08:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/?p=426086"},"modified":"2026-06-15T08:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:55:25","slug":"transforming-health-through-a-behavior-change-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/2026\/06\/15\/transforming-health-through-a-behavior-change-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming health through a behavior-change app"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The reviewed studies revealed some important features that could be useful in informing future app intervention design. However, participants in the MyFitnessPal app trial only had minimal change in body weight with no difference between groups. This may be because participants found calorie counting took too much time [29]. This finding is consistent with a previous systematic review suggesting that the amount of participant time required is an important consideration for physical activity and health eating interventions [46].<\/p>\n<h2>Outcomes Measured<\/h2>\n<p>However, anecdotally, it emerged that a large proportion of students did not frequently check their school email addresses, which they were required to use as their primary email contact in the trial. Teachers were encouraged to mention the app to students and encourage them to download it and were provided with an example classroom activity they could conduct using the app. However, implementation of these activities was at the teacher\u2019s discretion and results from our feasibility and acceptability testing showed that many teachers did not mention the app to students or in some cases discouraged their students from downloading it. A total of 12 female adolescents aged between 11.1 and 14.9 years participated in the focus group.<\/p>\n<p><img class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"250|251|252|253|254|255|256|257|258|259}px\" alt=\"healthy behavior change through apps\" src=\"https:\/\/img.freepik.com\/premium-vector\/interactive-mobile-app-that-provides-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-exercises-meditation_216520-58445.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<h3>Personalization of Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Study<\/h3>\n<p>The reason why reward and praise are not as popular strategies in mental health apps is probably because many designers believe that improving mental health is an intrinsic reward of using their app hence no extra reward is required. According to Orji et al. (2018b), performing health behaviors is often difficult due to lack of immediate tangible benefit, offering intermediate rewards such as points and badges, may help to engage the users while the await the intrinsic reward. Leveraging wearables and IoT devices for behavior change represents a profound shift in health and behavior management. These technologies, through real-time data capture and analysis, offer a personalized window into individual habits and health metrics, fundamentally transforming the way individuals engage with their health and wellness journeys. By integrating behavior change techniques, these devices not only provide a platform for continuous self-monitoring but also create an interactive, engaging experience that fosters sustained behavioral change. This is more than just a technological advancement; it is a paradigm shift in health management, where individuals are empowered with insights and feedback that make health management proactive, personalized, and responsive.<\/p>\n<h2>Data availability statement<\/h2>\n<p>We discuss various ways each persuasive strategy was implemented in mental health app to achieve the desired objective. Finally, we offered some design recommendations for mental health apps based on our findings. Future study should investigate which persuasive strategies are deemed as more important by users with mental health issues. We also hope to apply our recommendations in designing and evaluating mental health apps. Moreover, persuasive strategies such as reward and praise have been found to be among the popular strategies employed in many health apps to motivate users to be more engaged (Orji et al., 2014). However, only a few mental health apps implemented reward and praise, although apps for users with mental health issues may benefit from these techniques to motivate users.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Missing one day does not ruin your progress as long as you get back on track quickly.<\/li>\n<li>Approximately half (47%) of the apps had been updated within the past year (2018).<\/li>\n<li>Wearable devices are utilized in health and safety monitoring, chronic disease management, disease diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation (see Table 5).<\/li>\n<li>Research from 2020 indicates that messaging with a therapist via Talkspace helped reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.<\/li>\n<li>With respect to the Praise strategy, only 7 apps employed praise as words (i.e., Well Done) (6 apps) and colorful confetti (1 app).<\/li>\n<li>Self-affirmation exercises like the ones we implemented could be easily added to many current systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How Biology Helps Shape Choice in Behavioral Economics<\/h3>\n<p>Apps appear to be an ideal platform to deliver both simple and effective interventions. Self-monitoring strategy \u201callows people to track their own behaviors, providing information on both past and current\u201d (Orji et al., 2017b, 2018c). In 23 apps, self-monitoring was implemented as being able to review trends of personal data related to mental health in a calendar or graphical format. Moreover, another 29 apps offer self-monitoring as a total number of activities related to mental health improvement performed by an individual and how long they spent on each activity.<\/p>\n<p>Again, we expect that the lack of interaction between self-affirmation and self-efficacy in our data was due to the small effect of the initial affirmation. Each day, the reporting page contained 2 primary questions about their progress toward consuming 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 1 question about their confidence in continuing to meet this goal. This page saved the reported information and was updatable throughout the entire day. At the end of the day, the 3 questions were recorded in their final form and the page was cleared to enable reporting for the upcoming day. As the name implies, this app is focused on relaxation, meditation and sleep, with a \u201cmission to make the world happier and healthier.\u201d Calm offers guided sessions, breathing exercises, visualizations, sleep stories and music designed to assist with focus and relaxation. Both Ate and YourCoach can be used with a behavior change coach or personal trainer.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Physical Activity and Oxygen Saturation<\/h3>\n<p>It allows you to share reports with others, including your prescription provider and family members. With the Happify app, you participate in games that are not only fun but are backed by science to improve your mood, lower stress levels, and overcome negative thoughts, among other positive benefits. CBT-i Coach offers a structured program that uses scientifically proven strategies to help you build better sleep habits to improve and alleviate symptoms of insomnia. This app is for anyone with insomnia or who would like to improve their sleep regimen and habits.<\/p>\n<h2>Search Results and Study Selection<\/h2>\n<p><img class='aligncenter' style='display: block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;' width=\"250|251|252|253|254|255|256|257|258|259}px\" alt=\"healthy behavior change through apps\" src=\"http:\/\/www.inventionpartner.com\/images\/catchme-a-behavioral-skills-app-21962214.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Breathing frequency might be tracked indirectly through movement sensors or algorithms interpreting heart rate variability. For temperature, wearables often use embedded thermistors or similar components to measure skin temperature, which, while not core body temperature, can provide valuable health insights. Figure 12 depicts the number of documents per year for each search criterion combined with the phrase \u201cbehavior AND change AND techniques\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>Apps Effectiveness and Persuasive Strategies Employed<\/h2>\n<p>We broke this mold to more closely examine the effects of self-affirmation timing and dose on health behavior change. To test our research questions, we developed and implemented the Coach app to record healthy eating behaviors and deliver our interventions. We randomly assigned participants to 4 groups, a 2 (initial self-affirmation vs control) \u00d7 2 (recurrent self-affirmation boosters vs control) factorial design (Figure 1). Gonzalez et al [35] demonstrated that an app based on motivational enhancement theory resulted in a significant increase in the percentage of <a href=\"https:\/\/madmuscles-review.com\/workout-apps\/madmuscles-vs-nike-training-club\/\">https:\/\/madmuscles-review.com\/workout-apps\/madmuscles-vs-nike-training-club\/<\/a> days abstinent among participants with alcohol use disorder over the 6-week study period when compared to controls. In the Gustafson et al [27] study, significantly fewer risky drinking days were achieved in self-determination theory-based app intervention group than the patients in control group.<\/p>\n<p>The focus of the systematic review is guided by a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework. A systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science will be conducted. Two authors will independently screen the titles and abstracts of identified references and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. One reviewer will extract data into a standardized form, which will be validated by a second reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, and a descriptive analysis will summarize the effectiveness of all the apps. Although we identified a very large number of physical activity apps (almost 80% of the sample) leading to a high level of consumer choice, we found that most included a limited number of techniques known to promote sustained behavior change.<\/p>\n<p>Participants in the intervention group were provided with wearable fitness trackers that offered real-time feedback on their physical activity. After a four-week period, the researchers observed a significant increase in physical activity levels among the participants using wearables, accompanied by a decrease in resting heart rate. These findings suggest that wearable devices, through behavior change techniques like real-time feedback, can positively impact physical activity levels and contribute to improved cardiovascular health, as reflected in heart rate measurements. The use of wearables and IoT devices for promoting behavior change represents a powerful approach to improve individuals\u2019 well-being. These technologies provide personalized feedback, facilitate self-monitoring, incorporate gamification elements, and leverage social influence to empower individuals to adopt healthier behaviors. As technology continues to advance, it is important to further explore and understand the effectiveness and long-term impact of these behavior change techniques fostered by wearables and IoT devices.<\/p>\n<h3>Focus on Positive Things<\/h3>\n<p>The purpose of this study is to identify distinct persuasive strategies incorporated in mobile apps designed to improve mental health and classify the persuasive strategies based on the type of mental health issues the app is focused on. Moreover, the study aims to reveal the various ways persuasive strategies are implemented\/operationalized in mental health applications to achieve their intended objectives, and also to examine the relationship between apps effectiveness and the persuasive strategies employed. By leveraging behavior change techniques, wearables and IoT devices can empower individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles, improve their well-being, and achieve long-term behavior modifications. This research paper explores the effectiveness and impact of behavior change techniques fostered by information technologies, with a specific focus on wearables and IoT devices [3]. Through an examination of relevant studies, we aim to understand the mechanisms and strategies employed by these technologies to facilitate behavior change and the potential benefits they bring to individuals and society. By shedding light on this evolving field, we hope to contribute to the ongoing efforts in designing and implementing effective interventions for behavior change using wearable and IoT technologies [4].<\/p>\n<h2>Apps for Mental Health: An Evaluation of Behavior Change Strategies and Recommendations for Future Development<\/h2>\n<p>An overview of the associations between BCTs and the different components and measures of engagement will inform the design and evaluation of mobile health apps. Based on the data, we will determine what conclusions can be drawn, identify the limitations of our systematic review, and propose key topics for future research. A search of \u201cmobile health\u201d or \u201cmHealth\u201d on PROSPERO reveals many systematic reviews that are currently exploring mobile health interventions. However, with few exceptions [14,17], these systematic reviews have a narrow focus on particular types of health behaviors, patient groups, or a combination of both. Han and Lee conducted a systematic review in 2017 to examine the effectiveness of mobile health apps to improve patients\u2019 health behaviors [14]. The authors only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine apps that aimed to change health behaviors but did not exclude any studies based on a particular type of patient, health behavior, or app intervention.<\/p>\n<p>Industry data consistently shows that most apps lose the majority of their users within the first two to four weeks. To assess participants&#8217; personalities, we relied on the Big Five Inventory-10 scale in French, translated and validated by Courtois [26]. With Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from .37 to .83, the internal scale reliability of the Big Five Inventory-10 is low. This is because Cronbach alpha is not designed to evaluate scales with a low number of items [26]. Participants are asked to indicate on a 5-point Likert scale whether they strongly approve or strongly disapprove of statements about themselves. For example, \u201cI see myself as someone who is reserved\u201d or \u201cI see myself as someone who is easily anxious\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>This app is a robust tool for anyone committed to understanding and improving their dietary habits, whether for weight management, athletic performance, or general health. Its comprehensive data tracking and community features make it particularly attractive to those who appreciate detail and accountability in their health journey. By regularly engaging with these apps, users can improve their self-awareness and develop a more deliberate approach` to their actions. According to Fogg\u2019s Behaviour Model (FBM), for instance, suggests that behaviour occurs when motivation, ability, and a triggers converge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The reviewed studies revealed some important features that could be useful in informing future app intervention design. However, participants in the MyFitnessPal app trial only had minimal change in body weight with no difference between groups. This may be because participants found calorie counting took too much time [29]. This finding is consistent with a&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/2026\/06\/15\/transforming-health-through-a-behavior-change-app\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Transforming health through a behavior-change app<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[655],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426086"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426086"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":426087,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426086\/revisions\/426087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/aryasamaj.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}