Improving Physical Activity mHealth Interventions: Development of a Computational Model of Self-Efficacy Theory to Define Adaptive Goals for Exercise Promotion

Abstract

The practice of regular physical exercise is a protective factor against noncommunicable diseases and premature mortality. In spite of that, large part of the population does not meet physical activity guidelines and many individuals live a sedentary life. Recent technological progresses and the widespread adoption of mobile technology, such as smartphone and wearables, have opened the way to the development of digital behaviour change interventions targeting physical activity promotion. Such interventions would greatly benefit from the inclusion of computational models framed on behaviour change theories and model-based reasoning. However, research on these topics is still at its infancy. The current paper presents a smartphone application and wearable device system called Muoviti! that targets physical activity promotion among adults not meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. Specifically, we propose a computational model of behaviour change, grounded on the social cognitive theory of self-efficacy. The purpose of the computational model is to dynamically integrate information referring to individuals’ self-efficacy beliefs and physical activity behaviour in order to define exercising goals that adapt to individuals’ changes over time. The paper presents (i) the theoretical constructs that informed the development of the computational model, (ii) an overview of Muoviti! describing the system dynamics, the graphical user interface, the adopted measures and the intervention design, and (iii) the computational model based on Dynamic Decision Network. We conclude by presenting early results from an experimental study.

Engagement Features in Physical Activity Smartphone Apps: Focus Group Study With Sedentary People

“…Additionally, participants emphasized their interest in a flexible physical activity app that adapts the intervention content to the specific context and variations in the users' motivational and emotional states in real time. This suggestion is in line with recent emerging research that has focused on the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions [44] and tailoring physical activity interventions on motivational aspects such as self-efficacy beliefs [45,46].…”

Smartphone-Based Interventions to Reduce Sedentary Behavior and Promote Physical Activity Using Integrated Dynamic Models: Systematic Review

“…A total of 5 studies were conducted in the United States [ 12 , 92 , 94 - 96 ], 1 in Italy [ 86 ], 1 in New Zealand [ 87 , 88 ], and 1 in the Netherlands [ 89 - 91 ]. Of these, 3 studies used pre-post intervention designs [ 87 , 92 , 95 ], 2 were RCTs [ 94 , 96 ], 1 was a 3-arm quasi-experimental study [ 89 ], 1 was a single-group microrandomized trial [ 12 ], and 1 was development study [ 86 ]. The duration of the studies ranged from 3 weeks to 6 months.…”

“…The duration of the studies ranged from 3 weeks to 6 months. A total of 5 studies recruited participants from community settings [ 12 , 86 , 87 , 89 ], 1 from the university campus and community [ 92 ], 2 from the university only [ 94 , 96 ], and 1 from a university wellness center and retiree mailing list [ 95 ]. Populations included insufficiently active and sedentary healthy adults, healthy and highly educated young adults, overweight and sedentary adults, adults with chronic low back pain, and students and staff from a university setting.…”

Protein Intake and Physical Activity in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Such beliefs are particularly relevant with regard to health-related behaviors [ 50 ]. In the context of CVD, it has been shown that self-efficacy plays a crucial role in adopting and maintaining a healthy diet [ 26 , 51 ] and a physically active lifestyle [ 51 , 52 ]. Especially for maintenance, the confidence in one’s abilities to preserve the newly developed behavior in spite of the possible barriers is pivotal.…”