Mobile application-based behaviour change techniques to encourage quarantine compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Liu Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7709783 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Mobile application-based behaviour change techniques to encourage quarantine compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liu Ziyang Z He Qionghui Q Zhou Xinyu X Hai Yong Y
Public health 20201202
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Project description:BackgroundHigh levels of physical inactivity are linked to several chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, some cancers and poor mental health. Encouraging people to be more active has proven difficult. One way to incorporate physical activity into the daily routine is through the journey to and from work. Although behaviour change techniques (BCTs) are considered valuable in promoting behaviour change, there is very little in the published literature about the views and experiences of those encouraged to use them.MethodsThe Walk to Work study was a feasibility study incorporating an exploratory cluster randomised controlled trial. The 10-week intervention involved training workplace-based Walk to Work promoters (volunteers or nominated by participating employers) to encourage colleagues to increase walking during their daily commute. The intervention used nine specific BCTs: Intention formation, barrier identification, specific goal setting, instruction, general encouragement, self-monitoring of behaviour social support, review of behavioural goals and relapse prevention. Digitally recorded interviews were undertaken with 22 employees, eight of whom were Walk to Work promoters to understand their views and experiences of using these techniques. The Framework method of data management and constant comparison were used to analyse the data and identify key themes.ResultsFor each individual BCT, there appeared to be people who found it useful in helping them to increase walking to work and others who did not. Following training, the Walk to Work promoters varied in the extent to which they were able to fulfil their role: additional support and encouragement during the 10-week intervention may be required for the promoters to maintain motivation. Wider contextual (economic climate, unprecedented wet weather) and organisational (workload, car parking facilities) issues were identified that influenced the delivery of, and response to, the intervention.ConclusionsWalk to work interventions employing BCTs should include sufficient techniques to enable participants to choose a 'package' to suit their needs. Additional support at organisational level should also be encouraged, and consideration given to wider contextual factors that impinge on the delivery of, and response to, the intervention.Trial registrationISRCTN72882329.
| S-EPMC4158136 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:To examine a cohort of children and adolescents quarantined during Coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in India and to describe their understanding of, compliance with and the psychological impact of quarantine experience. METHODS:One hundred twenty one children and adolescents along with their parents were interviewed regarding their compliance and psychological distress during the quarantine period. A comparable data was also obtained from 131 children and adolescents who were not quarantined. RESULTS:Most of the children and adolescents were non-compliant as compliance with all requirements was low (7.43%), though compliance with community protective measures (17.35%) was better than compliance with household protective measures (10.71%). Quarantined children and adolescents experienced greater psychological distress than non-quarantined children and adolescents (p ?0.001). Worry (68.59%), helplessness (66.11%) and fear (61.98%) were the most common feelings experienced under quarantine. CONCLUSIONS:The low compliance with quarantine requirements as seen in this study raises a serious concern about the effectiveness of quarantine as a preventive measure of disease transmission. Compliance and mental health problems can be improved by providing adequate financial support and enhanced knowledge about pandemic planning.
| S-EPMC7257353 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundA key feature of the global public health response to contain and slow the spread of COVID-19 has been community-based quarantine and self-isolation. As part of The Optimise Study, this research sought to understand the factors that influence people's ability to undertake home-based quarantine and isolation to contain the spread of COVID-19.MethodsSemi-structured qualitative phone interviews (n = 25) were conducted by telephone with people who participated in community-based quarantine in Australia before 31 March 2020. The Capability Opportunity Motivation Behaviour model was used to conduct a thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants required clear, accessible and trusted information to guide them in home-based quarantine and isolation. A sense of social responsibility and belief in the efficacy of the restrictions to reduce viral transmission aided their motivation. Access to essential needs, supportive living environments, and emotional support were required to adhere to restrictions, but few were prepared.ConclusionsFindings demonstrate that in addition to having the capability and motivation to adhere to restrictions, it is vital that people are also encouraged to prepare for the challenge to ensure access to physical, social and emotional support. Findings also illustrate the importance of engaging communities in planning and preparedness for quarantine and self-isolation public health responses.
| S-EPMC9502922 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundResearch shows that inactive young women are attracted to using mobile phone applications (apps) to increase physical activity. Apps can promote physical activity by delivering a range of behaviour change techniques to influence determinants of user behaviour. Previous qualitative research has examined user experiences with techniques in physical activity apps, however there is little research specifically among young women. This study aimed to explore young women's experiences using commercial physical activity apps to change their behaviour.MethodsYoung women were recruited online to use a randomly assigned app for two weeks to achieve a personal goal. Using photovoice, a qualitative participatory research method, participants generated insights about their experiences through photographs and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted on photograph and interview data.ResultsThirty-two female participants, aged 18-24 years, completed the study. Behaviour change techniques tended to cluster around four key themes: logging and monitoring physical activity; reminders and prompts; workout videos and written instructions; and social features. Social support also strongly influenced participants' experiences.ConclusionsResults suggest that behaviour change techniques influenced physical activity in line with social cognitive models, and these models are useful to understand how apps can target user behaviour for young women. The findings identified factors important for young women that seemed to moderate their experiences, such as social norms about women's appearance, which should be further explored within the context of behaviour change models and app design.
| S-EPMC10101820 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cultivation of wild-harvested plant species has been proposed as a way of reducing over-exploitation of wild populations but lack of technical knowledge is thought to be a barrier preventing people from cultivating a new species. Training programmes are therefore used to increase technical knowledge to encourage people to adopt cultivation. We assessed the impact of a training programme aiming to encourage cultivation of xaté (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti), an over-harvested palm from Central America. Five years after the training programme ended, we surveyed untrained and trained individuals focusing on four potential predictors of behaviour: technical knowledge, attitudes (what individuals think about a behaviour), subjective norms (what individuals perceive others to think of a behaviour) and perceived behavioural control (self assessment of whether individuals can enact the behaviour successfully). Whilst accounting for socioeconomic variables, we investigate the influence of training upon these behavioural predictors and examine the factors that determine whether people adopt cultivation of a novel species. Those who had been trained had higher levels of technical knowledge about xaté cultivation and higher belief in their ability to cultivate it while training was not associated with differences in attitudes or subjective norms. Technical knowledge and perceived behavioural control (along with socio-economic variables such as forest ownership and age) were predictors of whether individuals cultivate xaté. We suggest that training programmes can have a long lasting effect on individuals and can change behaviour. However, in many situations other barriers to cultivation, such as access to seeds or appropriate markets, will need to be addressed.
| S-EPMC3303790 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic required rapid public compliance with advice from health authorities. Here, we ask who was most likely to do so during the first wave of the pandemic.DesignQuota-sampled cross-sectional and panel data from eight Western democracies (Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States).MethodsWe fielded online public opinion surveys to 26,508 citizens between 19 March and 16 May. The surveys included questions about protective behaviour, perceptions of the pandemic (threat and self-efficacy), as well as broader attitudes towards society (institutional and interpersonal trust). We employ multilevel and fixed-effects regression models to analyse the relationship between these variables.ResultsConsistent with prior research on epidemics, perceptions of threat turn out as culturally uniform determinants of both avoidant and preventive forms of protective behaviour. On this basis, authorities could foster compliance by appealing to fear of COVID-19, but there may be normative and practical limits to such a strategy. Instead, we find that another major source of compliance is a sense of self-efficacy. Using individual-level panel data, we find evidence that self-efficacy is amendable to change and exerts an effect on protective behaviour. Furthermore, the effects of fear are small among those who feel efficacious, creating a path to compliance without fear. In contrast, two other major candidates for facilitating compliance from the social sciences, interpersonal trust and institutional trust, have surprisingly little motivational power during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionsTo address future waves of the pandemic, health authorities should thus focus on facilitating self-efficacy in the public.
| S-EPMC8250211 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundGuidance on COVID-19 quarantine duration is often based on the maximum observed incubation periods assuming perfect compliance. However, the impact of longer quarantines may be subject to diminishing returns; the largest benefits of quarantine occur over the first few days. Additionally, the financial and psychological burdens of quarantine may motivate increases in noncompliance behavior.MethodsWe use a deterministic transmission model to identify the optimal length of quarantine to minimize transmission. We modeled the relation between noncompliance behavior and disease risk using a time-varying function of leaving quarantine based on studies from the literature.ResultsThe first few days in quarantine were more crucial to control the spread of COVID-19; even when compliance is high, a 10-day quarantine was as effective in lowering transmission as a 14-day quarantine; under certain noncompliance scenarios a 5-day quarantine may become nearly protective as 14-day quarantine.ConclusionData to characterize compliance dynamics will help select optimal quarantine strategies that balance the trade-offs between social forces governing behavior and transmission dynamics.
| S-EPMC10231873 | biostudies-literature
Project description: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 (n = 36) and paid (n = 14) app descriptions using a taxonomy of 93 BCTs (December 2016-January 2017). A subsample (n = 4) of free apps were trialed for one week by the reviewers and coded for the presence of BCTs (February 2017).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" (n = 43), "information about health consequences" (n = 31), and "self-monitoring of behavior" (n = 17). For the four free apps that were trialed, three additional BCTs were coded that were not coded in the descriptions: "graded tasks," "focus on past successes," and "behavior substitution."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.
| S-EPMC6043935 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWater exposure during contact lens wear has been associated with contact lens disease including microbial keratitis and sterile corneal infiltrates. Despite the documented risks, water exposure is common amongst lens wearers. This study aimed to determine the effect of water education in the form of "no-water" lens case stickers on water-contact behaviours and storage case contamination.MethodsIn a prospective, masked, randomised controlled trial, 200 daily lens wearers were randomised to either receive a storage case with a "no-water" sticker (test) or without a "no-water" sticker (control). Both groups received written compliance information. Participants completed a self-administered lens hygiene questionnaire at baseline and after 6 weeks. Microbial analysis of used storage cases, collected at both study visits, was conducted using ATP and limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assays for overall microbial contamination and endotoxin levels, respectively. A one-way ANCOVA and multiple logistic regression determined the change in water-contact behaviours and storage case contamination over time.ResultsA total of 188 lens wearers completed both study visits; 128 females and 60 males; average age 29 ± 13 (range 18-78 years); 95 test and 93 control participants. After 6 weeks, the overall water exposure score and endotoxin levels reduced significantly in the test group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant changes in individual water-contact behaviours or overall storage case contamination.ConclusionA no-water infographic on the contact lens case improved overall water-contact behaviours and reduced storage case endotoxin. Refining the messaging may be beneficial in future to improve other aspects of compliance.
| S-EPMC8027657 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Change4Life Food Scanner app is a UK Government dietary app designed to provide feedback on the nutritional content of packaged foods to parents and their children. To understand its intended mechanism of behavior change and how Behavior Change Technique (BCT) content evolves with app updates, this research aimed to map out the BCTs of two versions of the Change4Life Food Scanner app. Two coders undertook a descriptive comparative analysis of the use of BCTs in the Food Scanner app using the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy [both the outdated (v1.6) and updated (v2.0) versions of the app were coded]. Results showed that both versions encompass the BCTs "goal setting (behavior)", "feedback on behavior", "social support (unspecified)", "instruction on how to perform behavior", "salience of consequences", "prompts/cues" and "credible source". The outdated version contained the BCT "behavior substitution" which had been dropped in the updated version. The updated version featured the additional BCTs "information about social and environmental consequences", "information about emotional consequences", "social reward" and "social incentive" and was comparatively more BCT intensive in terms of content and occurrence. The BCT content of the Food Scanner app resembles that of existing dietary apps and incorporates several BCTs which have previously been found to be effective. Future work to evaluate the effectiveness of the app is recommended. This will provide insight into whether the combination of BCTs used in the Change4Life Food Scanner app are effective in improving dietary choices.
| S-EPMC8904754 | biostudies-literature