Personalization in Real-Time Physical Activity Coaching Using Mobile Applications: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) systems are increasingly sophisticated, utilizing real-time personalization to enhance physical activity coaching.
• Personalization in mHealth aims to improve user engagement and adherence to physical activity programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of real-time physical activity coaching applications employing personalization mechanisms.
• To analyze the characteristics, personalization strategies, design foundations, and evaluation methods of these mobile applications.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review adhering to the PRISMA-ScR checklist was performed on literature from July 2007 to July 2018.
• Data extraction focused on system features, personalization techniques, behavior change and gamification elements, and evaluation approaches.

Main Results:

• Seventeen mobile applications were identified, with Feedback, Goal Setting, and User Targeting being the most common personalization strategies.
• Behavior change theories were incorporated in few systems (6/17), and gamification, though present, was often not explicitly stated.
• While most systems were evaluated, few used rigorous randomized experimental designs to assess effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Current mobile physical activity coaching applications leverage personalization but have not reached their full potential for improving user adherence.
• Future research should integrate user-centered design, behavior change theories, gamification principles, and robust evaluation methodologies.