Table 2.
Study Characteristics of the Included Studies.
| Author (Year) & Country | Study Design |
Study Purpose | Study Sponsor | Targeted Condition | Data Collection Time-Points (Amount) | Duration (Weeks) | Sample Size | Control Group (CG) & Intervention Group (IG) |
Masking | Group Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klasnja et al. (2019) [25] United States |
MRT | Evaluation of efficacy of activity suggestions | Public funding | Physical activity | Daily (7540) | 6 | 44 | CG: None IG: Tailored walking suggestions |
Participant: N.A. Practitioner: N.A. Assessors: N.A. |
At each decision point: Individual randomisation to either no suggestion, walking suggestion or anti-sedentary suggestion |
| Adams et al. (2017) [26] United States |
Factorial 2 × 2 design | Evaluation of effects for goal setting and rewards to increase daily steps | Public funding | Physical activity | Baseline and 4-months follow-up (2) | 16 | 96 | CG: None IG: Four intervention components (adaptive vs. static goal setting and immediate vs. delayed rewards) |
Participant: None Practitioner: N.A. Assessors: Yes |
Individual randomisation to one of four intervention components after baseline |
| Gonze et al. (2020) [32] Brazil |
SMART | Evaluation of effects of a smartphone app for physical activity | Public funding | Physical activity | Baseline, 12-week follow-up and 24-week follow- up (3) | 24 | 18 | CG: TAU IG: Three intervention components (app only, app + tailored messages, and app + tailored messages and gamification) |
Participant: None Practitioner: N.A. Assessors: Yes |
First stage intervention: Individual randomisation to Group 1 (app only), Group 2 (app + tailored messages) or control group Second stage intervention: Individual rerandomisation of non-responders to Group 1 or 2 or Group 3 (app + tailored messages and gamification) |
| Du et al. (2016) [27] United States |
Factorial 2 × 2 design | Evaluation of effects of a mHealth application on eating behaviour, physical activity, and stress level | Public and private funding | eating behaviour, physical activity, and stress level | Baseline, pre-test, and post-test follow-up (3) | 8 | 124 | CG: TAU IG: Four intervention conditions (emailed wellness programme, emailed wellness programme + team support, mobile walking and stress intervention, and mobile walking and stress intervention + team support) |
Participant: Yes Practitioner: N.A. Assessors: N.A. |
Individual randomisation to one of four intervention components before baseline |
| Palermo et al. (2020) [28] United States |
Stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial | Evaluation of effectiveness and implementation of a digitally delivered psychosocial intervention for paediatric chronic pain | Public and private funding | Paediatric chronic pain | Baseline, 8ƒ-week follow-up and 3-month follow-up (3) | 20 | 143 | CG: TAU IG: Self-guided smartphone app for patients and their parents |
Participant: None Practitioner: None Assessors: Yes |
Random sequential crossover of the clinics in 1 of 4 waves from control to intervention |
| Schroé et al. (2020) [31] Belgium |
Factorial 2 × 2 × 2 design | Evaluation of efficacy of behaviour change techniques on physical activity and sedentary behaviour | Public funding | Physical activity and sedentary behaviour | Baseline and 5-week follow-up (2) | 5 | 473 | CG: No behavioural technique IG: Seven intervention conditions consisting of action planning, coping planning, and self-monitoring |
Participant: Yes Practitioner: None Assessors: N.A. |
Block randomisation of participants to one of eight (control group counted in here) intervention groups |
| Spring et al. (2020) [29] United States |
Factorial 2 × 5 design | Identification of intervention components that enhanced weight loss | In part Public Funding | Weight | Baseline, 3-months follow-up and 6-months follow-up (3) | 24 | 562 | CG: None IG: 32 intervention conditions consisting of coaching calls, primary care provider reports, meal replacements, buddy training, and text messaging |
Participant: None Practitioner: None Assessors: Yes |
Block randomisation of participants to one of 32 intervention groups |
| Strecher et al. (2008) [30] United States |
Fractional factorial 2 × 4 design | Identify intervention components of a web-based smoking cessation programme | Public funding | Smoking | Baseline and 6-months follow-up (2) | 24 | 1866 | CG: None IG: 16 intervention conditions consisting of tailored success story, outcome expectation, efficacy expectation messages, source personalization, and exposure |
Participant: Yes Practitioner: N.A. Assessors: N.A. |
Individual randomisation to one of 16 intervention components |
MRT: Micro Randomised Trial, CG: Control Group, IG: Intervention Group; N.A.: Not Available, TAU: Treatment As Usual, SMART: Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomised Trial.