Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 20, 2020
Date Accepted: Dec 7, 2020
Identification of Behaviour Change Techniques from successful online interventions targeting Alcohol Consumption, Binge Eating and Gambling.
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.
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