Intervention mapping in the development of health promotion interventions for adults with chronic conditions: a...

The objective of this scoping review was to map how intervention mapping has been used to develop health promotion interventions for adults with chronic conditions.

Chronic conditions present a growing burden of disease across the world, with many countries looking for novel ways of managing these conditions. Intervention mapping is a 6-step behavioral change intervention development approach that can be used to create programs or innovations for health promotion in different settings and locations.

This review considered all studies that used intervention mapping to develop a health promotion intervention for adults (≥18 years) with a chronic condition in any setting or location. To be included, the study had to use at least 1 of the 6 steps of intervention mapping.

This scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. In May 2023, the databases MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (EBSCOhost), APA PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Library), Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection; the trial registries Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library), ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN Registry, Research Registry, European Union Clinical Trials Register, Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, and the Trials Register of Promoting Health Interventions; and the gray literature databases EThOS, EBSCO Open Dissertations (EBSCOhost), and Sherpa Services (OpenDOAR) were systematically searched. Title and abstract screening was conducted by 3 reviewers independently, with conflicts resolved through discussion. Full-text screening of selected studies was conducted similarly by 2 reviewers. Data were extracted by 1 reviewer using a predefined yet flexible tool developed by the reviewers. A second reviewer independently extracted the first 10% of the included studies, with any discrepancies between reviewers resolved through discussion and random checks on 10% of the remaining studies providing extra fidelity. The data are presented in tables, graphs, and diagrams, with a descriptive summary and discussion of the results.

After screening, 56 studies were included in this review. Interventions were developed for 26 named chronic conditions. Steps 1, 2, and 3 were included in 55 studies (98%), step 4 was included in 48 studies (86%), step 5 was included in 30 studies (54%), and step 6 was included in 25 studies (45%). Stakeholder involvement included people with lived experience, health care professionals, experts, and community members, and was reported most often in the work group involved in conducting the research. The most common theory utilized by the included studies was the Social Cognitive Theory.

Although intervention mapping was adapted by all the included studies to fit their needs, this flexibility is embraced by the authors of intervention mapping. Stakeholders were involved throughout, although less so in later steps. Theory, although regularly employed, was not always fully integrated into the developed interventions. The findings of this scoping review suggest that a dedicated intervention mapping reporting tool should be developed to improve the reporting in the literature and enable easier understanding and synthesis of future research. Future intervention developers must recognize the benefits while understanding the challenges of fully engaging with theory when developing their interventions.

OSF https://osf.io/z9kdc.