Investigating the approach of using behavior change techniques in the field of mobile applications: a systematic review.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Behavior change techniques (BCTs) are widely used to improve health conditions in individuals. Mobile technologies are increasingly used in health care by facilitating adherence to the recommendations and behavior change. There is inconsistency regarding the usefulness of various BCTs in mobile technologies.<h4>Objectives</h4>This systematic review aimed to assess more effective behavior change techniques in increasing adherence in the management of chronic diseases, promoting behavior change, and improving people's lifestyles in the field of mobile applications.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic review of English-language studies was conducted by searching in the reliable scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. All published articles in the English language that assessed BCTs in behavior change via mobile applications till May 11, 2025, were included in the study. Two techniques were selected as the default techniques in the field of mobile applications based on the behavior change wheel and its mapping to the BCT taxonomy (Michie protocol) and citing scientific reasons.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 8042 articles were obtained, 16 of which were relevant to the objectives of the present study. App Store or Google Play Android applications were evaluated in 10 papers (62.5%), some of which used the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) tool to evaluate applications. Interventions in the majority of the papers (67%) were maintenance treatments and lifestyle modification, including diet and physical activity. BCTs were reported to be effective in all the reviewed studies. The number of BCTs in the studies ranged between one and 53, but the reason for choosing the desired BCTs was not mentioned.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The results of this systematic review show that the use of BCTs in mobile phone applications is important in achieving outcomes. Due to the small body of literature, further studies are necessary to compare the effectiveness of different BCTs in mobile applications.