OBJECTIVE

A rise in non-communicable diseases, driven by poor lifestyle behaviors, demands a shift from conventional, reactive, and episodic care to next-gen, proactive, and real-time lifestyle management. Digital health technologies (DHTs) and digital health interventions (DHIs) are poised to shepherd this transformation. Given the proliferation of digital health applications, a scoping review was conducted to map the DHTs and DHIs targeting lifestyle behavior change in Singapore.

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and clinical trial registries and a manual search of gray literature and mobile app stores were conducted to identify patient-facing IoT (internet of things) technologies (wearables, apps, bots, websites) that target physical activity, diet, tobacco/alcohol use, sleep quality, and/or mindfulness in Singapore from 2013 to 2023.

RESULTS

Forty-six DHTs and thirty-five DHIs were identified. Apps were the most common while websites and bots were the least common. Most DHTs and DHIs played monitoring or preventative behavior change functions. Most applications targeted multiple behaviors, with physical activity being the most common and tobacco/alcohol use being the least common. Behavioral change strategies included feedback and monitoring (80%), goals and planning (70%), associations (62%), personalization (59%), gamification (54%), rewards (33%), human coaching (30%), and just-in-time adaptations (4%).

CONCLUSION

This review identified gaps in digital health applications that address addictive behaviors and the elderly. Future efforts should prioritize adaptive, personalized technologies based on user-centric designs and robust behavioral frameworks to enhance long-term behavioral change. Insights from Singapore's experience can guide the global development of more effective health-improving digital applications.