Advancing Behavioral Intervention and Theory Development for Mobile Health: The HeartSteps II Protocol

Donna Spruijt-Metz, Benjamin M. Marlin, Misha Pavel, Daniel E. Rivera, Eric Hekler, Steven De La Torre, Mohamed El Mistiri, Natalie M. Golaszweski, Cynthia Li, Rebecca Braga De Braganca, Karine Tung, Rachael Kha and Predrag Klasnja
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Donna Spruijt-Metz: Center for Economic and Social Research, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Benjamin M. Marlin: Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Misha Pavel: Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Daniel E. Rivera: Control Systems Engineering Laboratory, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Eric Hekler: Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Steven De La Torre: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Mohamed El Mistiri: Control Systems Engineering Laboratory, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Natalie M. Golaszweski: Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Cynthia Li: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Rebecca Braga De Braganca: Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Karine Tung: Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Rachael Kha: Control Systems Engineering Laboratory, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Predrag Klasnja: School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: Background: Recent advances in mobile and wearable technologies have led to new forms of interventions, called “Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions” (JITAI). JITAIs interact with the individual at the most appropriate time and provide the most appropriate support depending on the continuously acquired Intensive Longitudinal Data (ILD) on participant physiology, behavior, and contexts. These advances raise an important question: How do we model these data to better understand and intervene on health behaviors? The HeartSteps II study, described here, is a Micro-Randomized Trial (MRT) intended to advance both intervention development and theory-building enabled by the new generation of mobile and wearable technology. Methods : The study involves a year-long deployment of HeartSteps, a JITAI for physical activity and sedentary behavior, with 96 sedentary, overweight, but otherwise healthy adults. The central purpose is twofold: (1) to support the development of modeling approaches for operationalizing dynamic, mathematically rigorous theories of health behavior; and (2) to serve as a testbed for the development of learning algorithms that JITAIs can use to individualize intervention provision in real time at multiple timescales. Discussion and Conclusions : We outline an innovative modeling paradigm to model and use ILD in real- or near-time to individually tailor JITIAs.

Keywords: Mobile Health; mHealth; digital health; intensive longitudinal data; physical activity; real-time interventions; new technologies; psychosocial theory; behavioral health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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