Identification of Behavior Change Techniques From Successful Web-Based Interventions Targeting Alcohol Consumption, Binge Eating, and Gambling: Systematic Review (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Completely online interventions are thought to overcome barriers to treatment, such as accessibility and geographical location, that can undermine the effectivness of traditional face-to-face interventions. Due to these features, researchers are increasingly testing the efficacy of online interventions as ways to reduce alcohol misuse, emotional eating and gambling. However, many online interventions have poorly defined mechanisms of action, meaning it is often uncertain how they propose to bring about behaviour change. OBJECTIVE The systematic review aimed to identify effective Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) present in online interventions which aimed to reduce alcohol consumption, emotional eating, or gambling. METHODS The systematic review covered research conducted in the last 20 years. Inclusion criteria for interventions were (1) online administration (2) target alcohol use, emotional eating and/or gambling and (3) report baseline and post-intervention mesures of behaviour. PRISMA guidelines were followed. We coded intervention effectiveness, study quality and BCTs present in the interventions. RESULTS Following removal of 4,152 ineligible articles, 45 were included in the review: 32 targeted alcohol misuse; six for emotional eating; seven for gambling. The five most commonly used BCTs present across interventions were identified. When intervention success and study quality were controlled for, results differed slightly. Results from all frequency counts were integrated to identify seven commonly used BCTs. These BCTs were Problem solving, Feedback on behaviour, Self-monitoring of behaviour, Self-monitoring of outcomes, Instruction on how to perform a behaviour, Information about social and health consequences and Social comparison. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review identified seven of the most frequently used behaviour change techniques used in online interventions focused on alcohol misuse, emotional eating and gambling interventions. These results can inform the development of evidence-based e-health interventions which have the potential to lead to effective, positive behaviour change in all three areas.

Rolling the Crypto Dice: The Interplay of Legal Environments, Market Uncertainty, and Gambling Attitudes on Users’ Behavioral Intentions

“…The outcome of path analysis confirmed that gambling attitudes have a significant impact on behavioral intention to continue using cryptocurrencies. This accords with scholars' perspective on the advantages of using cryptocurrencies in terms of their ability to improve user experience, privacy, and security, which attract online gamblers and impact their intentions to continue using them [86,87]. These findings also agree with studies that have linked between sense of pleasure associated with cryptocurrency gambling users' intentions to persist in utilizing these digital assets for their gambling endeavors [91,92].…”

“…Cryptocurrencies have garnered interest within online gambling platforms due to their capacity to enhance privacy, security, and the overall user experience [86]. Additionally, the pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrencies affords users a level of anonymity rarely achievable with conventional payment methods [87,88]. This distinctive amalgamation of features holds the potential to exert a discernible impact on users' intentions to continue using cryptocurrencies [89,90].…”

“Interventions to increase adherence to oral therapies in breast cancer patients: A systematic review based on the behavior change technique taxonomy”

“…identified in four of the nine interventions that resulted in significantly better adherence rates, and in only one of the 18 with statistically non-significant results, may suggest that this technique can have some efficacy in increasing medication adherence. 87,88 Although equally frequent in the interventions resulted significant (n = 4), the same consideration cannot be drawn for the technique "information about health consequences", which in our case consists in giving information to the patients about the consequences of adhering or not adhering to their prescribed oral medication. In fact, this BCT is even more frequent in those interventions that failed to significantly improve participants' adherence rates (present in 11 out of 18 interventions).…”