Table 1. Information pertaining to mHealth prompt content.
| Reference | Behaviour target | Intention of prompt | Theory | Content development | Example message |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkley-Patton et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Provision of information/Encouraging behaviour change | Not specified | Not specified | “Hello Brothers and Sisters! What are you about to put into your temple? Remember to limit the amount of sugar and fat that you consume” |
| Polgreen et al., [2018] | PA | Reminders to wear Fitbit; feedback on previous days behaviours; and goal setting reminders | Not specified | Not specified | “Remember to wear your Fitbit! What is your goal for today?” |
| Gupta et al., [2019]; Tewari et al., [2020]; Shanthosh et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Improve motivation and provide remote on-going support | COM-B model | Not specified | None provided |
| Cheung et al., [2019] | Diet, PA, & newborn health | Provision of advice, motivation, information and support to overcome barriers to behaviour change & personalized weekly step target messages | Not specified | Based on existing messages from previous trials. Additional messages developed by experts in diabetes, nutrition, physical activity, health promotion, and lactation. Messages reviewed for readability then assessed/refined based on participant feedback | “Small steps count! Just 10 min sessions count towards your target of 30 mins per day. Keep active!” |
| Nanditha et al., [2020]; Thomson et al., [2018] | Diet & PA | Provision of motivational and educational messages; goal setting and self-monitoring reminders | Trans-theoretical model | Based on previous work. In the UK a Patient and Public Involvement Group provided input on the prompt design and content | None provided |
| Ram et al., [2014]; Ramachandran et al., [2013]; Nanditha et al., [2018] | Diet & PA | Provision of information (healthy lifestyle, benefits of PA and diet); how to start PA and diet practices; strategies to avoid relapse and maintain motivation | Trans-theoretical model | Based on the transtheoretical model stages | “Physical activity helps to maintain normal blood sugar and blood pressure” |
| Wong et al., [2013]; Wong et al., [2016]; Wong et al., [2018] | Diet & PA | Provision of information (diabetes/prediabetes, lifestyle modifications); social norms (how others will appreciate the lifestyle modifications); self-efficacy enhancing messages (how to control your behaviours) | Theory of planned behaviour and Social Cognitive Theory | Written by expert team including doctors, nurses and dieticians and mapped onto the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Social Cognitive Theory | “Diabetic complications include eye problems and feet problems” |
| Catley et al., [2019]; Catley et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Reinforce session content, increase motivation, support implementation planning enhance self-efficacy, and provide positive affirmations | Not specified | Written with input from community advisory board | “Stand for a period of time at home instead of sitting; this does not require much energy or time” |
| Block et al., [2015a]; Block et al., [2015b] | Diet & PA | Prompt goal setting (emails); reinforce goals and encourage program engagement (push notifications). Participants could also message each other with pre-drafted motivational messages | Learning theory and habit formation | Not specified | “Studies show that people who eat a good breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day” |
| Buis et al., [2013a]; Buis et al., [2013b] | Diet & PA | Risk assessment; provision of information; promotion of behaviour change | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Ritchie et al., [2020]; Fischer et al., [2016]; Fischer et al., [2019] | Diet & PA | Prompting self-reported weight; skill teaching (tracking calories or fat); problem solving (relapses and eating around the holidays); motivation; stress reduction; recipes; links to additional resources; PA promotion messages | Not specified | Based on the NDPP curriculum and refined with input from patients with prediabetes through 6 focus groups (3 in English, 3 in Spanish) | None provided |
| Morton et al., [2015]; Yates et al., [2015] | PA | Prompting self-reported PA; feedback; motivational/habit formation; informational; problem solving; attitudes/beliefs; self-efficacy & self-regulation of PA behaviours | Control theory and BCTs | Phase 1 conceptualization (literature review, identify BCTs); Phase 2 formative research (understand context/acceptability of SMS); Phase 3 pre-testing (focus groups; explore specific SMS content, types and regimens); Phase 4 piloting (pilot study to resolve technical issues; interviews to explore user experiences) | “Please text in your weekly step count by entering the number of steps you have achieved in total over the past 7 days” |
| Everett et al., [2018] | Diet & PA | Personalized push notifications adapted based on actual life habits and sent to users, providing an actionable recommendation to prompt behaviour change | Not specified | Machine learning. Mobile phone data used to provide personalized, contextual, just-in-time, just-in-place recommendations | “Hi Hans, you have 15 min of activity left. The sun is shining so let’s pick up coffee from Mister… and achieve your daily continuity goal” |
| Tkatch et al., [2018] | Diet | Provision of information (e.g., recipes); prompts to send another participant a “high 5”; support users accountability, commitment and engagement with program | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Limaye et al., [2017] | Diet & PA | Promote healthy lifestyle behaviours through educational and persuasive messages | Not specified | Not specified | “Foods like Chocolates, Pastries, Sweets, Sago, Potato, Soft drinks, Alcohol etc. directly influence blood sugar levels. Stay away from such foods!” |
| Pfammatter et al., [2016] | Diet & PA | Provision of information (causes and complications of diabetes); motivate improvement in diabetes risk behaviours | Not specified | Written by Emory University and reviewed by a Behavior Change Task Force | “Diabetes is a huge problem. At least 5 crore people in India live with diabetes. Diabetes kills 10 lakh Indians each year. Arogya World” |
| Fukuoka et al., [2015] | Diet & PA | Reminders to self-monitor | Not specified | Not specified | “Have you let everyone around you know that you are trying to become more active so they can help you meet your goal?” |
| Abebe et al., [2013] | Diet & PA | Provision of education (diet/PA tips, local healthcare providers/resources); progress tracking. Messages aimed to be culturally competent, reflecting an understanding of local interpretations of disease and the colloquial language used | Health Belief Model | Written by advisory group (community members, research teams, mHealth vendor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Diabetes Association). Content based on evidence-based guidelines. Focus groups held to refine messages and ensure their relevance and cultural competence | “Some people call diabetes sugar or touch of sugar. Don’t be fooled, diabetes is very serious, no matter what you call it” |
| González et al., [2013] | Diet & PA | Notifications are sent to patients under the following conditions: too infrequent access to the platform, failure to upload enough heart rate monitor data, too infrequent entry of food intake data, exceeding the prescribed caloric intake, not reaching the prescribed caloric expenditure, and successfully following the prescribed therapy | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Fukuoka et al., [2011] | N/A | Participants want tailored messages to address individual weaknesses | Not specified | N/A | N/A |
| Alzeidan et al., [2019] | Diet & PA | Provision of education (healthy lifestyle, benefits of PA and a healthy diet). Every third message includes a summary of information covered in previous messages | Trans-theoretical model | Based on WHO and Saudi National Diabetes Prevention and Control Program resources. Messages written to map onto transtheoretical model. Messages will undergo refinement by public health/mental health specialist, a language reviser, and target population | None provided |
| Rosas et al., [2018] | Diet & PA | Reminders (attend sessions, watch videos, use written materials, self-monitor, reach out to coach with questions); provision of information (maintenance topics) | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Kim et al., [2019] | None | Prompt individuals to go to their homepage to view a health message | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Whelan et al., [2019] | PA | Motivational messages and reminders to move | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| MacPherson et al., [2019] | PA | Prompt self-monitoring, verbal persuasion, and performance accomplishment | Social Cognitive Theory | Based on constructs within Social Cognitive Theory and based on previous research | “Hey (insert name). I have been watching your progress for the last few weeks and wanted to say congratulations on what an awesome job you have been doing! You should be really proud of yourself—you’ve been sticking with your exercise plan over the past month! Keep up this fantastic effort and I'll be right here watching your fabulous achievements” |
| O’Reilly et al., [2019] | Diet & PA | Provision of information (screening, risk assessment, use of trackers, fibre); health coaching; goal setting; reminders to watch storytelling video | Not specified | Focus groups where participants ranked content using traffic light coloured stickers (red = not acceptable, orange = unsure, and green = acceptable). Following ranking activity, messages were grouped by colour and discussed to improve content | “Hi [mother’s name], I am Magda and I would like to volunteer to be your own personal health coach. Making changes to your lifestyle can improve your whole family’s health as well as your own. I have a series of 7 topics that we can work through together that can help you make changes at a pace that suits you and your busy schedule. Click/tap here to read our first topic” |
| Staite et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Provision of information and encouragement of lifestyle changes; feedback on behaviours; respond to user messages | Not specified | Written based on tenets of motivational interviewing | “Think about how many staircases you might be able to use today instead of the lift” |
| Ho et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Provision of education (general information about prediabetes, T2D, and lifestyle modification) | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Srivastava et al., [2019] | Diet & PA | Reminders and encouragement | Not specified | Not specified | “Keep up the good work using your Type II Diabetes Prevention module!” |
| Xu et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Motivate users; provision of information (materials arranged into comics, storing, or short articles); provision of health assessments (e.g., food frequency questionnaire) | Trans-theoretical model | Not specified | None provided |
| Rollo et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Motivational and supportive messages and reminders to self-monitor and reflect on goals | Not specified | Not specified | “[First name], when cravings hit, have a glass of water and wait a few mins. You may be confusing thirst for hunger. The craving may fade once you have rehydrated” |
| Sinclair et al., [2020] | Diet & PA | Appointment reminders and text messages reinforce and encouraging healthy eating and physical activity | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
| Harjumaa et al., [2020] | None | Reminders to use the system (when user was not logged in; user had not made any selections; user but had not reported selections; user had not used the app for a week) | Not specified | Not specified | None provided |
PA, physical activity; BCT, behaviour change technique.