Observational studyJMIR mHealth and uHealth2019
Do Daily Fluctuations in Psychological and App-Related Variables Predict Engagement With an Alcohol Reduction App? A Series of N-Of-1 Studies.
Observational study in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- How Notifications Affect Engagement With a Behavior Change App: Results From a Micro-Randomized Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Trial
- Contextual Predictors of Engagement in a Tailored mHealth Intervention for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2021Trial
- Identifying Content-Based Engagement Patterns in a Smoking Cessation Website and Associations With User Characteristics and Cessation Outcomes: A Sequence and Cluster Analysis.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Trial
- Development, Acceptability and Engagement with the Mind Tutor: Lessons Learned from Testing a Novel Digital Application for First Year UK Undergraduate Student Wellbeing.Psychological studies · 2025Article
- Do engagement and behavioural mechanisms underpin the effectiveness of the Drink Less app?NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Biofeedback and Digitalized Motivational Interviewing to Increase Daily Physical Activity: Series of Factorial N-of-1 Randomized Controlled Trials Piloting the Precious App.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- N-of-1 trials: The epitome of personalized medicine?Journal of clinical and translational science · 2023Article
- Influences on the Uptake of Health and Well-being Apps and Curated App Portals: Think-Aloud and Interview Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Engagement With a Behavior Change App for Alcohol Reduction: Data Visualization for Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Observational
- Notifications to Improve Engagement With an Alcohol Reduction App: Protocol for a Micro-Randomized Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies have identified psychological and smartphone app-related predictors of engagement with alcohol reduction apps at a group level. However, strategies to promote engagement need to be effective at the individual level. Evidence as to whether group-level predictors of engagement are also predictive for individuals is lacking.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to examine whether daily fluctuations in (1) the receipt of a reminder, (2) motivation to reduce alcohol, (3) perceived usefulness of the app, (4) alcohol consumption, and (5) perceived lack of time predicted within-person variability in the frequency and amount of engagement with an alcohol reduction app.
methodsWe conducted a series of observational N-of-1 studies. The predictor variables were measured twice daily for 28 days via ecological momentary assessments. The outcome variables were measured through automated recordings of the participants' app screen views. A total of nine London-based adults who drank alcohol excessively and were willing to set a reduction goal took part. Each participant's dataset was analyzed separately using generalized additive mixed models to derive incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for the within-person associations of the predictor and outcome variables. Debriefing interviews, analyzed using thematic analysis, were used to contextualize the findings.
resultsPredictors of the frequency and amount of engagement differed between individuals, and for the variables 'perceived usefulness of the app' and 'perceived lack of time', the direction of associations also differed between individuals. The most consistent predictors of within-person variability in the frequency of engagement were the receipt of a daily reminder (IRR=1.80-3.88; P<.05) and perceived usefulness of the app (IRR=0.82-1.42; P<.05). The most consistent predictors of within-person variability in the amount of engagement were motivation to reduce alcohol (IRR=1.67-3.45; P<.05) and perceived usefulness of the app (IRR=0.52-137.32; P<.05).
conclusionsThe utility of the selected psychological and app-related variables in predicting the frequency and amount of engagement with an alcohol reduction app differed at the individual level. This highlights that key within-person associations may be masked in group-level designs and suggests that different strategies to promote engagement may be required for different individuals.
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