Research Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
Education & Training, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK.
Transl Behav Med. 2023 Jun 9;13(6):406-417. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibad003.
Evaluating the presence of behavior change techniques (BCTs) in mHealth apps could be used to better understand what "active ingredients" contribute to outcomes. Despite the early onset of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and the increasing use of mobile apps to seek mental healthcare among young people, BCTs underpinning mHealth apps targeting AN have never been systematically examined. This review systematically identified and analyzed BCTs underpinning apps targeted at reducing AN in young people in an attempt to understand their active components. Apps were searched and screened in Apple Store and Google Play. Six apps that met the inclusion criteria and were coded by trained researchers against the BCT Taxonomy V1. Overall, 22 of 93 possible BCTs were identified. The most common were "Information about health consequences," "Social support (unspecified)," and "Information about antecedents". Identified BCTs suggested potential overlaps with traditional clinical treatments for AN, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and family-based therapy. Further investigation is required to evaluate the apps' usability and effectiveness.
评估移动健康应用程序中行为改变技术 (BCT) 的存在，可以帮助我们更好地了解哪些“有效成分”对结果有贡献。尽管神经性厌食症 (AN) 的发病较早，年轻人越来越多地使用移动应用程序寻求精神保健，但针对 AN 的移动健康应用程序所依据的 BCT 从未得到系统检查。本综述系统地确定和分析了针对年轻人减少 AN 的应用程序所依据的 BCT，试图了解其有效成分。在 Apple Store 和 Google Play 中搜索和筛选了应用程序。符合纳入标准的 6 个应用程序由经过培训的研究人员根据行为改变技术分类 V1 进行编码。总共确定了 93 个可能的 BCT 中的 22 个。最常见的是“关于健康后果的信息”、“（未指定的）社会支持”和“关于前因的信息”。确定的 BCT 表明与 AN 的传统临床治疗（如认知行为疗法和家庭为基础的疗法）可能存在重叠。需要进一步调查以评估应用程序的可用性和有效性。
