The person-based approach to intervention development: A scoping review of methods and applications
The person-based approach to intervention development: A scoping review of methods and applications
Background
The person-based approach (PBA) has emerged as a prominent methodology guiding the development of digital and hybrid health behaviour change interventions over the last decade, and there is a salient need to understand its utilization.
Objective
This study aims to describe which elements of the PBA have been utilised in intervention development research, for which populations, and how this has been reported.
Methods
A search for intervention development papers published between 2015 and 2023 using forward citation searches was undertaken in Scopus, using two seed articles. Results are presented using frequency counts, and qualitative data were summarised using content analysis.
Results
The review encompasses 239 papers. The PBA has frequently been applied in early stage development of digital interventions for adult populations, prioritising the use of qualitative methods. It has been used globally to develop, adapt, optimise and evaluate digital, hybrid and offline interventions for a wide range of contexts including primary and secondary healthcare, educational, community, and public health settings. Researchers value it as a proven method to identify user needs and preferences in order to create persuasive content.
Conclusion
The PBA is most frequently linked to research undertaken to understand target populations and iteratively design content in early development phases. The PBA provides guidance on combining evidence-, theory- and person-based research, but these three elements are not always evident in the literature. Training focused on these elements, plus exemplar studies and use of reporting guidelines, could make this integrative work more visible in future papers.
PPI, Person-based approach, behaviour change, digital health, intervention development, methodology, scoping review
1-15
Holt, Lydia
a320015f-f81c-4ecd-8fbb-621d9df4d07b
Denford, Sarah
8970b5a7-8cad-4356-ad0e-88297b67db37
Bowers, Hannah
c81d418d-3cd7-4da5-bd09-0eee862bd49f
Kuberka, Paula
d2915838-fbd2-4284-9962-6535d90a13f0
Muller, Ingrid
2569bf42-51bd-40da-bbfd-dd4dbbd62cad
Amlôt, Richard
d93f5263-ea24-4b12-b505-f51694220b8e
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
2025
Holt, Lydia
a320015f-f81c-4ecd-8fbb-621d9df4d07b
Denford, Sarah
8970b5a7-8cad-4356-ad0e-88297b67db37
Bowers, Hannah
c81d418d-3cd7-4da5-bd09-0eee862bd49f
Kuberka, Paula
d2915838-fbd2-4284-9962-6535d90a13f0
Muller, Ingrid
2569bf42-51bd-40da-bbfd-dd4dbbd62cad
Amlôt, Richard
d93f5263-ea24-4b12-b505-f51694220b8e
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Holt, Lydia, Denford, Sarah, Bowers, Hannah, Kuberka, Paula, Muller, Ingrid, Amlôt, Richard and Yardley, Lucy
(2025)
The person-based approach to intervention development: A scoping review of methods and applications.
Digital Health, 11, .
(doi:10.1177/20552076241305934).
Abstract
Background
The person-based approach (PBA) has emerged as a prominent methodology guiding the development of digital and hybrid health behaviour change interventions over the last decade, and there is a salient need to understand its utilization.
Objective
This study aims to describe which elements of the PBA have been utilised in intervention development research, for which populations, and how this has been reported.
Methods
A search for intervention development papers published between 2015 and 2023 using forward citation searches was undertaken in Scopus, using two seed articles. Results are presented using frequency counts, and qualitative data were summarised using content analysis.
Results
The review encompasses 239 papers. The PBA has frequently been applied in early stage development of digital interventions for adult populations, prioritising the use of qualitative methods. It has been used globally to develop, adapt, optimise and evaluate digital, hybrid and offline interventions for a wide range of contexts including primary and secondary healthcare, educational, community, and public health settings. Researchers value it as a proven method to identify user needs and preferences in order to create persuasive content.
Conclusion
The PBA is most frequently linked to research undertaken to understand target populations and iteratively design content in early development phases. The PBA provides guidance on combining evidence-, theory- and person-based research, but these three elements are not always evident in the literature. Training focused on these elements, plus exemplar studies and use of reporting guidelines, could make this integrative work more visible in future papers.
Text
HOLT - 2025- DIGITAL HEALTH - PBA Scoping Review
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 19 November 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 January 2025
Published date: 2025
Additional Information:
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
Keywords:
PPI, Person-based approach, behaviour change, digital health, intervention development, methodology, scoping review
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 498293
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/498293
ISSN: 2055-2076
PURE UUID: abf89572-cb8c-4a0d-90e5-0ea8f784980a
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 13 Feb 2025 18:08
Last modified: 28 Jun 2025 03:39
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Contributors
Author:
Lydia Holt
Author:
Sarah Denford
Author:
Paula Kuberka
Author:
Richard Amlôt
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