Promoting active transportation through technology: a scoping review of mobile apps for walking and cycling

Incorporating active transportation (AT), such as walking and cycling, into daily routines is a promising solution for meeting the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendations and contributes to reducing the risk of many noncommunicable diseases. Smartphone apps offer versatile platforms for embedding health behavior promotion strategies to encourage AT.

This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of how mobile apps are being used to promote AT through reviews of the academic literature and commercial app stores.

We searched six academic databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Transport Database, and Google Scholar) for academic literature. The literature was included if it presented a developed app to promote AT behaviors. AT promotion strategies and theories were extracted and analyzed for their impact on changing behaviors and behavioral intentions toward AT. Commercial apps were searched in two app stores (the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store) across six countries, one per continent. Apps were included if they promoted and encouraged AT behavior. We evaluated the apps on the basis of user engagement and their quality and potential to change behaviors, as assessed via the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and the App Behavior Change Scale (ABACUS).

The academic literature search identified 38 articles, presenting 29 apps. All the studies that evaluated behavioral intentions reported success in raising awareness and changing behavioral intentions. A promising strategy to motivate behavior involves providing multiple relevant feedback (calories burned, money saved, time saved, and CO2/particulate matter emissions) on behavioral impacts alongside action plans (route recommendations and personalized travel plans). Only two apps from the literature search were publicly available. The commercial app search identified 78 apps. Apps with high-quality engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information presented greater user engagement than those that did not; therefore, they were more likely to succeed.

Mobile apps have great potential to motivate changes and be part of a comprehensive system to promote AT. Given the rapid growth of app-based interventions, leveraging mobile apps to encourage AT warrants further exploration. Upon development, these apps should be maintained and made publicly accessible.