1. A framework to guide the development of smartphone
behavioural change mobile health applications
Oyebode Olatoye Oridota
Rhodes University
Grahamstown, South Africa
+27 785138731
oridotaoyebode@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Categories and Subject Descriptors
• Applied computing~Health informatics • Applied
computing • Applied computing~Life and medical sciences
Keywords
Mobile Health Applications; Smartphones; Behaviour Change;
mHealth;
1. INTRODUCTION
Mobile Health (mHealth) is an emerging area of research that is
concerned with the integration of mobile devices, mobile
technologies and medical sensors to ensure healthcare [7].
Recently, mHealth has seen an increase in uptake due to the
increased number of mobile devices used in healthcare [2, 13]. In
addition, there has been an increase in the number of mobile
health applications developed to support or manage lifestyle
behaviour changes [1, 11]. There is an exceptional number of
health and medical applications available for download on
smartphones devices and these mobile health applications have
the potential to impact technology-based interventions [11]. As
such, mobile health applications are now being used as
intervention tools in health related behaviour changes [4, 5].
2. Problem Statement
Despite the popularity of these mobile health applications for
lifestyle behaviour changes, little is known about the behaviour
change techniques (BCTs) used - or lack of thereof- in these
mobile health applications. There is a paucity of evidence on the
behaviour change techniques implemented in these mobile health
applications [3, 11]. The majority of these mobile health
applications fail to include key BCTs or vital evidence-based
strategies for the required behaviour change in their content [3, 4,
10, 14]. Furthermore, researchers are now using the different
behaviour change taxonomies to quantify the presence of health
behaviour change theoretical constructs and techniques included
in smartphone mobile health applications [1, 4, 9]. Although these
smartphone mobile health applications developers try to include
some BCTs in their content [4], the inclusion of these BCTs is far
from optimal [9]. In addition, these mobile health applications
generally do not provide knowledge on how to perform the
required behaviour change [4]. Consequently, research is finding
that the effectiveness of these mobile health applications to
support health behaviour change is still limited [11].
There are discrepancies in what mobile health application
developers build for behaviour change and what is expected by
experts on behaviour change. Thus, there is need for a framework
to guide the development of smartphone behavioural change
mobile health applications.
3. Methodology
A Design Science Research methodological approach will be
employed to guide the research. Design Science has become a
well-established method for conducting Information Systems
research [6.12]. Design science uses an iterative approach to (1)
identify the problem (2) design solution objectives; (3) design and
develop; (4) demonstrate; (5) evaluate; and (6) communicate [12]
Furthermore it is well suited for this research as the primary aim
of using a Design Science research is to produce or design an
artefact to solve a problem [6]. The initial development and
design of the framework will be built based on a thorough
literature review. Experts in developing behaviour change mobile
health applications will then review the initial framework using
questionnaires to determine its feasibility and utility [8]. To
demonstrate the framework, a proof of concept mobile health
application will then be prototyped determine the effectiveness of
the framework to guide the development of a mobile health
application.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, the use of smartphone mobile health applications
for behaviour change interventions is growing and there is need
for guidance on how to develop these smartphone mobile health
applications for behaviour change. The framework will provide a
useful guidelines for developers who wants to build smartphone
mobile health applications that will be used for behaviour change
in individuals.
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SAICSIT, September 28–30, 2015, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South
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Copyright 2010 ACM 1-58113-000-0/00/0010 …$15.00.
DOI: 10.475/1234

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