Components and BCTs in intervention and control groups*†
| Author | Characteristics and BCTs of the intervention | Characteristics of the control§ | |
| Tracker and/or app‡ | Other intervention components | ||
| True control group: no app or tracker component | |||
| Wyke38 | Tracker+app: social support and comparison | Group meetings: goal setting, action planning, review goals, social support, instruction on doing the behaviour, info on health consequences and emotional consequences, behavioural practice, graded tasks, credible source, identity associated with new behaviour | None |
| Donoghue39 | Tracker (Fitbit) | Emails, mentored walks/runs: goal setting, social comparison, behaviour practice and substitution, graded tasks, restructuring the physical environment | None |
| Pope40 | Tracker+app (Polar) | Facebook group: instruction on doing the behaviour | Facebook group |
| Vandelanotte41 | Tracker (Fitbit) | Website: goal setting, problem solving, action planning, feedback, self-monitoring, social support, info on health consequences | Website |
| Ashton42 | Tracker+app (Jawbone): goal setting | Facebook group, website, meetings, resistance band, leaflet: problem solving, review goals, social support, instruction on doing the behaviour, demonstration of the behaviour, behaviour practice, habit formation, credible source; adding objects | None |
| Brakenridge43 | Tracker+app (LUMOback) | Leaflet, emails, meetings: feedback, instruction on doing the behaviour, info on health consequences and on others approval, cues | Leaflet, emails, meetings |
| Finkelstein44 | Tracker (Fitbit) | Fitbit website+control: goal setting, social support and comparison, unspecific reward | Leaflets |
| Poirier45 | Tracker (Pebble+) | Website (+SNS), emails, SMS: goal setting, social support and comparison, cues, graded tasks, unspecific reward | None |
| Ashe46 | Tracker+app (Fitbit) | Fitbit website, meetings, transport tickets: goal setting, problem solving, action planning, review goals, social support and comparison, instruction on doing the behaviour, info on health consequences, graded tasks, adding objects | Meetings |
| Cadmus47 | Tracker (Fitbit) | Fitbit website, meeting: goal setting, action planning, review goals, commitment | Pedometer, leaflet |
| Martin48 | Tracker+app (Fitbug) | Website, emails, SMS: goal setting, instruction on doing the behaviour, cues, habit formation, credible source, unspecific reward | None |
| Thorndike49 | Tracker (Fitbit): reward | Fitbit website+control | Gym access, personal training, meetings, emails |
| Active control with an app or tracker component | |||
| Patel, 201950 | Tracker (Withings Activité Steel)+app | SMS/emails, gamification: goal setting, behavioural contract, commitment, anticipated regret, social comparison, cues, removal of aversive stimulus, graded tasks, non-specific incentive+reward, future punishment, punishment | Tracker (Withings Activité Steel)+app+SMS/emails |
| Ellingson51 | Tracker+app (Fitbit) | Motivational interviewing, habit education (meetings+phone): goal setting, problem solving; instruction on doing the behaviour, social support, cues, habit formation | Tracker+app (Fitbit) |
| Zhang52 | Tracker (Fitbit)+app+social features: social support and comparison, cues | None | Tracker (Fitbit), app |
| Patel, 201853 | App (Moves) | Combined financial incentives, goal achievement feedback (SMS/emails): goal setting, anticipated regret, material incentive+reward, future punishment | App (Moves), goal achievement feedback (SMS/emails) |
| Robinson54 | Tracker (Fitbit) | Emails (+incentive reminders), online resources: goal setting, problem solving, action planning, instruction on doing the behaviour, cues, habit formation, graded tasks, reduce negative emotions, framing/reframing | Tracker (Fitbit), emails |
| Fanning55 | App+goal setting, gamification: goal setting, review goals, discrepancy between behaviour and goal, instruction on doing the behaviour, unspecific incentive+reward | Meeting, emails, SMS: goal setting, review goals, cues, graded tasks, credible source, unspecific reward | App, meeting, emails, SMS, workbook |
| Patel, 201756 | App (Moves) OR tracker (Fitbit) | SMS/emails, gamification: goal setting, behavioural contract, commitment, social support, anticipated regret, graded tasks; material incentive+reward; unspecific incentive +reward; future punishment | App (Moves) OR tracker (Fitbit), SMS and/or emails |
| John57 | App (AchieveMint)+Tracker (Fitbit): material incentive | Emails (+extra emails about rewards), monetary reward: cues, cue signalling reward, material reward | App, Fitbit, monetary reward, emails |
| King58 | Social app: problem solving, social support and comparison, instruction on doing the behaviour, cues | None | Dietary app |
| Melton59 | Tracker+app (Jawbone) | Emails: cues | MyFitnessPal app, emails |
| Patel,2016 I60 | App (Moves) | SMS/email/automated voice call, individual+team incentives: goal setting, social comparison, material incentive+reward, social incentive+reward | App (Moves), SMS/email/automated voice call |
| Patel, 2016 II61 | App (Moves) | Feedback on team performance compared with the 75th percentile (email/SMS): goal setting, social comparison | App (Moves), feedback on team performance compared with the 50th percentile |
| Walsh62 | App (Accupedo-Pro) with widget: discrepancy between current behaviour and goal, cues | Meeting, leaflet: goal setting, instruction on doing the behaviour, info on health consequences, demonstration of the behaviour | App, Meeting, leaflet |
| Cowdery63 | Apps (exergame+Moves): unspecific incentive+reward, distraction | Emails: social support, instruction on doing the behaviour, cues | App (Moves) |
| Wang64 | Tracker+app (Fitbit) | SMS, Fitbit website, meeting: goal setting, problem solving, cues | Tracker+app/website (Fitbit), meeting |
| Glynn65 | App (Accupedo-Pro) with widget: cues | Leaflet, SMS, call: goal-setting, instruction on doing the behaviour, info on health consequences, cues, credible source | App, leaflet, SMS, call |
*Components that distinguish the intervention from the control are underlined.
†Some BCTs were abbreviated for conciseness—check online supplemental materials for complete table.
‡By definition of the inclusion criteria, all mHealth technology components include self-monitoring of behaviour and feedback on behaviour, so these BCTs are not shown in intervention columns.
§BCTs for the control group are available in online supplemental file 1.
app, application; BCT, behaviour change technique; info, information; SMS, short message service; SNS, social networking site.