A digital service for healthy behaviors

Title

An individually tailored digital intervention to promote healthy and sustainable behaviours supported by AI

Background

Healthy eating habits and regular physical activity offer substantial benefits from both individual and societal perspectives. Habits and behaviours depend on various factors, including individuals’ motivation, capabilities, and opportunities, making behavior changes often difficult to maintain. Digital services have the potential to provide personalised support, enabling individuals to take control of their health, achieve sustainable lifestyle changes, and thereby improve health and well-being.

Aim

The project aims to develop an evidence-based, user-friendly and personalised digital intervention (an app), and to evaluate its implementation and effectiveness. The app provides support for physical activity, healthy eating habits, and mental health. Through the app, users are encouraged to set personal goals and receive personalised feedback and inspiration through AI, as well as support from a health coach and social support from other users.

Method

The project is planned based on a framework for developing behavioural interventions and entails three phases. The initial phase, Intervention planning, included mapping previous research, focus group studies, and co-development of a digital intervention with researchers, product developers, and health professionals. The second phase, Intervention optimisation, consists of several studies evaluating the feasibility and acceptance of the digital intervention in distinct population groups. The third phase, Evaluating intervention implementation and outcome, is planned as a real-world research study.

Importance

Digital technology has the potential to reach many individuals in a short time, to contribute to disease prevention and health promotion, and reduce health inequalities. With this project, we will develop, adapt, and evaluate a digital intervention that can be integrated into primary health care, workplace health promotion, and pharmacies, complementing advice on healthy behaviours. The project enhances knowledge and understanding of how digital intervention should be optimised to be personalised and user-friendly.

Read more about the digital intervention

Publications

The acceptability, usability, engagement and optimisation of a mHealth service promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours: A mixed method feasibility study – Callum Regan, Phillip Von Rosen, Susanne Andermo, Maria Hagströmer, Unn-Britt Johansson, Jenny Rossen, 2024 (sagepub.com) 

JMIR Human Factors – User Perceptions of eHealth and mHealth Services Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Diets: Systematic Review 

JMIR Diabetes – Perspectives on Promoting Physical Activity Using eHealth in Primary Care by Health Care Professionals and Individuals With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Qualitative Study 

Full article: Health care professionals’ experiences of supporting persons with metabolic risk factors to increase their physical activity level – a qualitative study in primary care (tandfonline.com) 

Head of Research

Sophiahemmet University

Contact

Project Leader: Jenny Rossen, associate professor, Sophiahemmet University