Unpacking Digital Dashboards' Influence on Preventive Health Behavior Among Young Adults

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for digital tools that support public health decision-making and behavior change. Dashboards became a primary method for communicating infectious disease data. However, their influence on preventive health behaviors (PHBs) is not well understood-especially among young adults. This group is less likely to adhere to PHBs, but highly familiar with online tools. Methods: Two experimental studies were conducted with young adult participants (200 in Study 1, 228 in Study 2) who viewed the same COVID-19 data in dashboards with or without actionable components. Participants were randomly assigned to different dashboard conditions to measure, on seven-point Likert scales, their PHB intentions and perceptions of behavioral control, attitudes, norms, and risk. The actionable dashboard interventions, designed using the theory of planned behavior, included dynamic behavioral guidance and risk level visualizations. Results: Actionable dashboards versus basic dashboards significantly increased PHB intentions (B = 0.84, p < 0.001, Study 1). Dynamic behavioral guidance was the key dashboard component influencing PHB intentions (B = 0.61, p = 0.005, Study 2). Parallel mediation analysis testing norms, attitudes, behavioral control, and perceived risk against one another found that only norms explained the link between the dashboard intervention and PHB intentions (B_boot = 0.18 and 0.19). Conclusions: Findings suggest that actionable dashboards can effectively promote PHB by influencing psychosocial beliefs. These dashboards provide context and guidance, making risky situations more manageable and directing individuals to appropriate preventive actions. Public health professionals should consider incorporating behavioral guidance into community health dashboards to improve their effectiveness.