Applying the behaviour change wheel to assess the theoretical underpinning of a novel smartphone application to increase physical activity in adults with spinal cord injuries.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Haley, James A. Rhind, Daniel J. A. Maidment, David W.
Copyright Year	2023
Abstract	Background People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are physically inactive. Smartphone applications (or apps) may prove as one strategy to overcome this. This study examines the theoretical underpinning of a novel mHealth intervention that aims to improve physical activity in people with SCI, namely, the Accessercise smartphone app, using the behaviour change wheel (BCW). Methods Accessercise was evaluated using the BCW in eight steps across the following three stages: (I) understanding the behaviour, (II) identifying intervention options, and (III) identifying content and implementation options. Results Thirteen target behaviours were identified to improve physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviours in adults with SCI, including goal setting and monitoring, increasing self-confidence, interest and motivation for undertaking physical activity, improving the knowledge/awareness of available physical activity opportunities and resources, and reducing stigma and negative attitudes associated with physical activity. Accessercise incorporates the necessary components for adults with SCI to be physically and psychologically capable of undertaking physical activity, offering social and physical opportunities to reduce sedentary behaviours, and supports automatic and reflective motivation. Conclusions This systematic approach of assessing the theoretical underpinning of Accessercise in the context of the BCW has revealed potential mechanisms of action for improving physical activity in adults with SCI. This serves as a blueprint to inform further intervention development, as well as high-quality effectiveness studies, namely, randomised controlled trials, assessing whether fitness apps can improve physical and psychological health outcomes in individuals with SCI.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC10119442&blobtype=pdf
Volume Number	9
DOI	10.21037/mhealth-22-52
PubMed Central reference number	PMC10119442
PubMed reference number	37089265
Journal	mHealth
e-ISSN	23069740
Language	English
Publisher	AME Publishing Company
Publisher Date	2023-03-17
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0. 2023 mHealth. All rights reserved.
Subject Keyword	Behaviour change intervention capability, opportunity, motivation, and behaviour model (COM-B model) mobile enabled healthcare (mHealth) physical disability tele-exercise
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health Informatics Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health