Keep Moving! A Systematic Review of App-Based Behavior Change Techniques and Visualizations for Promoting Everyday Physical Activity

Abstract

Health apps are supposed to support fighting sedentary lifestyles and, consequently, a variety of chronic diseases. For promoting physical activity in a sustained manner, these apps and corresponding research draw upon a variety of behavior change techniques and visualizations. To provide a structured overview of recent approaches and identify research gaps, we conducted a systematic literature review of empirical research works on app-based approaches for promoting everyday physical activity. In the 42 relevant studies identified, we thoroughly analyzed the applied behavior change techniques and in-app visualization types. We found a recent emphasis on feedback and monitoring as well as goal setting techniques, while the application of others such as informing about health consequences or shaping the user’s knowledge are applied only in rare cases. The range of visualization types is limited. Traditional charts and gamified illustrations turned out to be predominant. However, empirical research on alternative approaches such as innovative chart visualizations is scarce.