A Mobile App (Joint Effort) to Support Cannabis Use Self-Management and Reinforce the Use of Protective Behavioral...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Canada's legalization of recreational cannabis use (CU) necessitates innovative interventions for lower-risk CU, particularly among young adults (18-25 years).
• Protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) are effective for managing CU and reducing negative consequences, yet few interventions focus on their promotion.
• A mobile app prototype, Joint Effort, was co-designed with young adults to address this gap by promoting PBSs for CU self-management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development process of the Joint Effort mobile app prototype.
• To evaluate the usability of the Joint Effort app among young adults with recent CU.
• To promote the use of PBSs for CU self-management in young adults.

Main Methods:

• Intervention mapping (IM) and a co-design approach were employed, involving focus groups and a matrix of change objectives.
• Six steps guided development: needs assessment, behavior/determinant selection, theory-based method selection, content validation, preliminary content creation, and app prototyping.
• Usability was assessed via qualitative interviews and the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) with 20 university students.

Main Results:

• The Joint Effort app was perceived as visually pleasing, easy to use, nonjudgmental, and helpful for initiating behavior change.
• Customization functions were highly appreciated by users.
• The app prototype achieved a high mean uMARS quality score of 4.43/5.0, with strong subscale scores for engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the value of IM and co-design in developing user-centered mobile health interventions.
• User feedback was crucial in creating an app that is relevant and appealing to young adults.
• The positive usability results have led to the development of an iOS version, with further evaluations planned.