title: Translating Behavioral Interventions Onto mHealth Platforms: Developing Text Message Interventions for Smoking and Alcohol.
abstract: The development of mHealth applications is often driven by the investigators and developers with relatively little input from the targeted population. User input is commonly limited to "like/dislike" post- intervention consumer satisfaction ratings or device or application specific user analytics such as usability. However, to produce successful mHealth applications with lasting effects on health behaviors it is crucial to obtain user input from the start of each project and throughout development. The aim of this tutorial is to illustrate how qualitative methods in an iterative process of development have been used in two separate behavior change interventions (targeting smoking and alcohol) delivered through mobile technologies (ie, text messaging). A series of focus groups were conducted to assist in translating a face-to-face smoking cessation intervention onto a text message (short message service, SMS) delivered format. Both focus groups and an advisory panel were used to shape the delivery and content of a text message delivered intervention for alcohol risk reduction. An in vivo method of constructing message content was used to develop text message content that was consistent with the notion of texting as "fingered speech". Formative research conducted with the target population using a participatory framework led to important changes in our approach to intervention structure, content development, and delivery. Using qualitative methods and an iterative approach that blends consumer-driven and investigator-driven aims can produce paradigm-shifting, novel intervention applications that maximize the likelihood of use by the target audience and their potential impact on health behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States. Bbock@lifespan.org.
authors.forename: Beth C
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4530-7618
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: Rochelle K
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-667X
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Nancy P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9634-8287
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Herpreet
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8878-4927
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thind
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1315-5370
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walaska
authors.forename: Robert
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5428-7762
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6102-3183
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: Regina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2387-6542
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Traficante
keywords: alcohol; mHealth; qualitative methods; smoking cessation; text message