Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
The BRIGHT Institute, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 26;19(15):9129. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159129.
Digital media are omnipresent in modern life, but the science on the impact of digital media on behavior is still in its infancy. There is an emerging evidence base of how to use digital media for behavior change. Strategies to change behavior implemented using digital technology have included a variety of platforms and program strategies, all of which are potentially more effective with increased frequency, intensity, interactivity, and feedback. It is critical to accelerate the pace of research on digital platforms, including social media, to understand and address its effects on human behavior. The purpose of the current paper is to provide an overview and describe methods in this emerging field, present use cases, describe a future agenda, and raise central questions to be addressed in future digital health research for behavior change. Digital media for behavior change employs three main methods: (1) digital media interventions, (2) formative research using digital media, and (3) digital media used to conduct evaluations. We examine use cases across several content areas including healthy weight management, tobacco control, and vaccination uptake, to describe and illustrate the methods and potential impact of this emerging field of study. In the discussion, we note that digital media interventions need to explore the full range of functionality of digital devices and their near-constant role in personal self-management and day-to-day living to maximize opportunities for behavior change. Future experimental research should rigorously examine the effects of variable levels of engagement with, and frequency and intensity of exposure to, multiple forms of digital media for behavior change.
数字媒体在现代生活中无处不在，但关于数字媒体对行为影响的科学仍处于起步阶段。现在已经有越来越多的证据表明如何利用数字媒体来改变行为。通过数字技术实施的行为改变策略包括各种平台和计划策略，所有这些策略都可以通过增加频率、强度、互动性和反馈来提高有效性。加速数字平台（包括社交媒体）的研究步伐至关重要，以便了解并解决其对人类行为的影响。本文的目的是提供该新兴领域的概述和描述方法，展示应用案例，描述未来议程，并提出在未来数字健康行为改变研究中需要解决的核心问题。用于行为改变的数字媒体采用了三种主要方法：（1）数字媒体干预，（2）使用数字媒体进行的形成性研究，（3）用于进行评估的数字媒体。我们考察了包括健康体重管理、烟草控制和疫苗接种等多个内容领域的应用案例，以描述和说明该新兴研究领域的方法和潜在影响。在讨论中，我们注意到数字媒体干预措施需要探索数字设备的全部功能及其在个人自我管理和日常生活中的持续作用，以最大限度地利用行为改变的机会。未来的实验研究应严格检验不同程度的参与度、接触频率和强度以及多种形式的数字媒体对行为改变的影响。
