Behaviour Change Techniques within Smartphone Application Connected Health Interventions for Paediatric Cancer: A Review

Within overburdened health care systems and recent transitions towards digital service delivery, parents of children with cancer increasingly turn to technology to support care and psycho-social needs. However, with the rapid acceleration of digital health, tools to support parents in identifying effective technologies are needed. In line with this, this study sought to conduct a content analysis of Connected Health (CH) smartphone applications for families of children with cancer. Systematic searches of Google Play and the Apple App Store were conducted in September 2020. BCTs Taxonomy, Version 1 (BCTv1) was used for content analysis, with additional data on cost, downloads and ratings obtained for each app. Of the 1316 applications found, 26 met inclusion criteria. Common CH features included healthcare tracking and sharing of information with family or health care providers. Common BCTs included feedback and monitoring (n=54), social support (n=19) and goal setting/planning (n=24), with 50 unique BCTs found across applications. Good alignment between CH features and BCT use was found. Statistical analysis found no significant relation between app cost (t(17.8)=-.669, p=.512), downloads (r=-.17, n=23, p<.45) or ratings (r(21)=-.031, p=.894) and BCT volume. While findings suggest a high prevalence of BCTs in CH apps for paediatric cancer, standard measures of quality, such as app rating or download volume, cannot be relied upon when evaluating apps, suggesting a need for more valid accessible metrics of efficacy. While findings suggest a high level of BCTs in CH applications for families affected by paediatric cancer, additional research is needed to determine their efficacy in affecting change in this group.