Towards the Science of Engagement with Digital Interventions.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Digital technologies (mobile devices, wearables) are increasingly used for health behavior interventions.
• Suboptimal participant engagement is a major barrier to the effectiveness of digital health interventions.
• Existing research on increasing engagement faces limitations in scientific and practical utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify limitations in current research on digital intervention engagement.
• To propose a new conceptualization of engagement to advance the science of digital health interventions.
• To enhance the rigor and transparency in measuring and reporting engagement.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of the current body of evidence on digital intervention engagement.
• Conceptual analysis of participant engagement within digital health contexts.
• Proposal of a process-oriented framework for understanding engagement.

Main Results:

• Current evidence on digital intervention engagement is limited.
• A conceptual shift is needed to view digital interventions as collections of stimuli and tasks.
• Engagement should be understood as a dynamic process, not a static state or trait.

Conclusions:

• Conceptualizing engagement as a process enhances scientific rigor and transparency.
• This approach facilitates better measurement, reporting, and interpretation of engagement.
• Advancing the science of engagement is crucial for developing effective digital health strategies.