Digital Tools for Health Behavior Change: An Integrated Theory and Easy-to-Apply Approach

Background: While the promise of digital or connected health innovations changing health behavior remains a significant public health focus, recent research finds that few digital tools are being built upon existing health behavior change theory and practice, which is likely contributing to mixed results. To correct this, research was drawn from public health, psychology, behavioral economics, marketing and sociology regarding the major published health behavior models, such as the Fogg Behavior Model, Transtheoretical Model, Health Belief Model, etc., to develop an integrated health behavior change model. The model, currently called Optimized Persuasion (OP), is simple, parsimonious, and easy to understand and apply.

Program background:  OP is designed for use by health content creators, strategists, designers, and technology developers to develop successful behavior change programs delivered via digital channels and mobile devices. OP is a stage-based model, showing how the interaction between three factors, Relationship, Engagement, and Influence, can be used to create lasting behavior change.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Empirically supported tactics were identified and prioritized by change stage, positing that selected psychological, user experience, and design tactics are more or less critical than others at different stages. Tools are available to make the tactic identification and application process efficient. Live applications are underway. OP is currently being utilized to improve engagement strategies and support development of the outreach components of the website redesign at NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Other applications within the public and private sectors are being pursued. The working model, as well as application results, conclusions, and limitations will be presented.

Conclusions:  Optimizing the use of engagement to progress a relationship results in greater influence between the involved parties. That influence can be used by healthcare providers and other advocates to establish meaningful and lasting behavior change in their audiences.

Implications for research and/or practice: Putting tools in the hands of health communicators that allow them to make better decisions about how they engage their target audiences will increase the efficiency and efficacy of intervention communications. The ease of use of Optimized Persuasion will also increase literacy around the process of changing behavior and make the tools more useful to more communicators.