ArticleDigital health
Engagement features judged by excessive drinkers as most important to include in smartphone applications for alcohol reduction: A mixed-methods study.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Technology-mediated just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) to reduce harmful substance use: a systematic review.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2022Pooled it
- Design Features for Improving Mobile Health Intervention User Engagement: Systematic Review and Thematic Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Influences on the Uptake of and Engagement With Health and Well-Being Smartphone Apps: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Theory-based promotion of diet and transportation behavior change to reduce carbon footprint among students: Randomized parallel trial of the GROW app.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Trial
- Examining engagement with and acceptability and usability of REAL Parenting: A brief online parent-based intervention to reduce alcohol use and consequences among high school students.Addictive behaviors · 2023Trial
- Promoting Hand Hygiene During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parallel Randomized Trial for the Optimization of the Soapp App.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Trial
- Engagement With a Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Harmful Drinking: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Trial
- Preferences for an Experience Sampling Method-Based Tool as an Adjunct to Usual Treatment in Patients With Problem Substance Use: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Effect of the MyDéfi Smartphone Application on Binge Drinking Among University Students: Protocol of a Double-Blind Multicenter Prospective National Randomized Controlled Trial Using Phosphatidylethanol as a Biomarker-The SMARTBINGE Trial.International journal of methods in psychiatric research · 2025Article
- Requirements and Key Features of a Mobile Application for Adolescent Self-Care From a Stakeholders Perspective: A Qualitative Study.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2024Article
- Engagement with mHealth Alcohol Interventions: User Perspectives on an App or Chatbot-Delivered Program to Reduce Drinking.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Testing a Digital Health App for Patients With Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Mixed Methods Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Ecological momentary assessment of heavy episodic drinking in the early postpartum period: A feasibility study.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2023Article
- Perceptions of Factors Influencing Engagement With Health and Well-being Apps in the United Kingdom: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Designing m-Health interventions for precision mental health support.Translational psychiatry · 2020Review
- Adults' Preferences for Behavior Change Techniques and Engagement Features in a Mobile App to Promote 24-Hour Movement Behaviors: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Article
- Do Daily Fluctuations in Psychological and App-Related Variables Predict Engagement With an Alcohol Reduction App? A Series of N-Of-1 Studies.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Observational
- DECENT: A sociotechnical approach for developing mobile health apps in underserved settings.Digital healthArticle
- Implementation of the goal-setting components in popular physical activity apps: Review and content analysis.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveEngagement with smartphone applications (apps) for alcohol reduction is necessary for their effectiveness. This study explored (1) the features that are ranked as most important for engagement by excessive drinkers and (2) why particular features are judged to be more important for engagement than others.
methodsTwo studies were conducted in parallel. The first was a focus group study with adult excessive drinkers, interested in reducing alcohol consumption using an app (
resultsThere was low agreement between participants in their rankings, both in the focus groups (ICC = 0.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.03-0.38) and the online sample (ICC = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.06-0.23). 'Personalisation', 'control features' and 'interactive features' were most highly ranked in the focus groups. These were expected to elicit a sense of benefit and usefulness, adaptability, provide motivational support or spark users' interest. Results from the online study partly corroborated these findings.
conclusionThere was little agreement between participants, but on average, the features judged to be most important for inclusion in smartphone apps for alcohol reduction were personalisation, interactive features and control features. Tailoring on users' underlying psychological needs may promote engagement with alcohol reduction apps.
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