ArticleDigital health
Behavior change techniques in mobile applications for sedentary behavior.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Investigating the approach of using behavior change techniques in the field of mobile applications: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- What works to reduce sedentary behavior in the office, and could these intervention components transfer to the home working environment?: A rapid review and transferability appraisal.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Health workers' perceptions and experiences of using mHealth technologies to deliver primary healthcare services: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Trends in Persuasive Technologies for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in artificial intelligence · 2020Pooled it
- Living well? The unintended consequences of highly popular commercial fitness apps through social listening using Machine-Assisted Topic Analysis: Evidence from X.British journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Food access narratives as told by consumers and retailers engaging in a COVID-19-stricken urban food system: A brief report.Journal of public health research · 2023Article
- Moving Food Assistance into the Digital Age: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Behavioral Medicine for Sedentary Behavior, Daily Physical Activity, and Exercise to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: A Review.Current atherosclerosis reports · 2021Review
- A Behavioral Change Smartphone App and Program (ToDo-CR) to Decrease Sedentary Behavior in Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants: Prospective Feasibility Cohort Study.JMIR formative research · 2020Article
- A Mobile App Specifically Designed to Facilitate Exercise in Parkinson Disease: Single-Cohort Pilot Study on Feasibility, Safety, and Signal of Efficacy.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Article
- Promoting Wellness Through Mobile Health Technology in a College Student Population: Protocol Development and Pilot Study.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- [Digital public health-an overview].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2020Review
- Effectiveness of text messages for decreasing inactive behaviour in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomised controlled study.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMobile applications (apps) are increasingly being utilized in health behavior change interventions. To determine the presence of underlying behavior change mechanisms, apps for physical activity have been coded for behavior change techniques (BCTs). However, apps for sedentary behavior have yet to be assessed for BCTs. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to review apps designed to decrease sedentary time and determine the presence of BCTs.
methodsSystematic searches of the iTunes App and Google Play stores were completed using keyword searches. Two reviewers independently coded free (
resultsIn the free and paid app descriptions, only 10 of 93 BCTs were present with a mean of 2.42 BCTs (range 0-6) per app. The BCTs coded most frequently were "prompts/cues" (
conclusionsThese sedentary behavior apps have fewer BCTs compared with physical activity apps and traditional (i.e., non-app) physical activity and healthy eating interventions. The present study sheds light on the behavior change potential of sedentary behavior apps and provides practical insight about coding for BCTs in apps.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.