Mapping the Landscape of Digital Health Intervention Strategies: 25-Year Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Behavior Change
• Intervention Strategies

Background:

• Digital health interventions show promise for improving health outcomes and promoting behavior change.
• A comprehensive synthesis of strategies used in these interventions is currently lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and categorize digital health intervention strategies over the past 25 years.
• To analyze changes and differences in strategies across various factors (time, country, population, delivery, sender).
• To provide a reference for enhancing future digital health intervention effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 885 English academic papers (1999-2024) from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.
• Identification and categorization of strategies based on Behavior Change Techniques and Behavior Strategies.
• Analysis of strategy differences across time, countries, populations, delivery methods, and senders.

Main Results:

• 173 unique strategies across 19 themes were identified in 885 papers (954,847 participants).
• Top strategies included 'guide' (55.6%), 'monitor' (55.4%), and 'communication' (44.3%).
• High-income countries showed greater strategy diversity; interventions primarily targeted clients and the general public.

Conclusions:

• Digital health interventions have evolved significantly over 25 years, moving towards personalized, multifaceted approaches.
• Future research should prioritize rigorous evaluations, long-term effectiveness, and tailored strategies for diverse and vulnerable populations.
• Advanced technologies are increasingly leveraged for real-time monitoring and feedback in digital health.