Behavior Change Techniques in Digital Health Interventions for Promoting Adolescent Health Behaviors: Systematic Umbrella Review.
Digital health interventions (DHIs) using behavior change techniques (BCTs) show promise in addressing adolescent health behaviors, but evidence of their effectiveness across health behavior domains remains fragmented and poorly summarized.
This systematic umbrella review synthesized evidence from existing systematic reviews on the effectiveness of BCTs within DHI targeting key adolescent health behavior domains: alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical activity, dietary habits, and obesity management.
We systematically searched PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase, and CINAHL in April 2024 for reviews of DHI for adolescents (10-19 years old). We coded all identified BCTs using the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). Data on BCT effectiveness, intervention characteristics, and review quality were extracted and narratively synthesized using AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2).
A total of 20 reviews, comprising 224,135 participants, were included. These examined DHIs targeting physical activity (7 reviews), dietary habits (3 reviews), alcohol consumption (2 reviews), combined alcohol and nicotine use (1 review), and obesity management (1 review), with an additional 6 reviews covering multiple health behaviors. Across reviews, 65% (13/20) reported statistically significant positive effects on at least one health behavior outcome. "Social support (unspecified)" was the most consistently adopted and effective BCT, especially with parental/peer involvement. The combination of "self-monitoring," "goal setting," and "feedback" also commonly appeared in successful interventions. Intervention effectiveness appeared linked to strategic BCT selection and individualization rather than the total number of techniques. The methodological quality of included reviews was predominantly low, with only 2 rated high.
This umbrella review identified "social support (unspecified)" as a consistently effective BCT across multiple adolescent health behavior domains, particularly with parental/peer involvement. Intervention success appears linked to targeted and individualized BCT use. Future research should prioritize clarifying the specific components and delivery methods of effective social support, rigorously evaluating BCT configurations in underexplored areas such as adolescent smoking cessation, and examining their long-term impact on behavior change.
This systematic umbrella review synthesized evidence from existing systematic reviews on the effectiveness of BCTs within DHI targeting key adolescent health behavior domains: alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical activity, dietary habits, and obesity management.
We systematically searched PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase, and CINAHL in April 2024 for reviews of DHI for adolescents (10-19 years old). We coded all identified BCTs using the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1). Data on BCT effectiveness, intervention characteristics, and review quality were extracted and narratively synthesized using AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2).
A total of 20 reviews, comprising 224,135 participants, were included. These examined DHIs targeting physical activity (7 reviews), dietary habits (3 reviews), alcohol consumption (2 reviews), combined alcohol and nicotine use (1 review), and obesity management (1 review), with an additional 6 reviews covering multiple health behaviors. Across reviews, 65% (13/20) reported statistically significant positive effects on at least one health behavior outcome. "Social support (unspecified)" was the most consistently adopted and effective BCT, especially with parental/peer involvement. The combination of "self-monitoring," "goal setting," and "feedback" also commonly appeared in successful interventions. Intervention effectiveness appeared linked to strategic BCT selection and individualization rather than the total number of techniques. The methodological quality of included reviews was predominantly low, with only 2 rated high.
This umbrella review identified "social support (unspecified)" as a consistently effective BCT across multiple adolescent health behavior domains, particularly with parental/peer involvement. Intervention success appears linked to targeted and individualized BCT use. Future research should prioritize clarifying the specific components and delivery methods of effective social support, rigorously evaluating BCT configurations in underexplored areas such as adolescent smoking cessation, and examining their long-term impact on behavior change.
Authors
Boumparis Boumparis, de Riedmatten de Riedmatten, Champion Champion, Cea Cea, de Pablo-Pardo de Pablo-Pardo, Koutra Koutra, Rizvi Rizvi, Pearce Pearce, Triantafyllidis Triantafyllidis, Molina-Barceló Molina-Barceló, Schaub Schaub, Haug Haug
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