Health Behaviours
NoObesity: Digital Intervention for Childhood Obesity Prevention
Status: Active (redesigned app entering evaluation)
Funder: Health Education England / NHS England
Almost a quarter of UK children are overweight or obese by the time they start school. We evaluated a mobile app developed by Health Education England for families and healthcare professionals, identifying key barriers to engagement (boredom, forgetting, poor usability) and effective design features (gamification, goal setting, feedback loops). Based on these findings, we conducted a theory- and evidence-based redesign through four co-design workshops with families and clinicians. The redesigned app is now entering a larger evaluation examining its impact on family health behaviours and clinicians' confidence in discussing weight-related concerns. (Video)
Milestone: Co-design phase completed. Prototype in development with new name drawn from participant feedback.
Relevant publications:
- Acceptability and Usability of the Mobile Digital Health App NoObesity for Families and Health Care Professionals: Protocol for a Feasibility Study
- Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change: Protocol for a Systematic Review
- Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change in Physical Activity, Diet, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Mental Health: Systematic Review
- Associations Between Behavior Change Techniques and Engagement With Mobile Health Apps: Protocol for a Systematic Review
- Potential associations between behavior change techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: a systematic review
- Barriers and facilitators to parents' engagement with and perceived impact of a childhood obesity app: A mixed-methods study
TEAM-CARE: Digital Technologies for Childhood Asthma Management
Status: Completed
Funder: NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i)
Lead: King's College London (DEPTH AI leads the technical evaluation)
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood condition in the UK, yet rates of uncontrolled asthma and emergency admissions remain high. Within a multisite RCT led by King's College London, we are conducting a nested technical evaluation of two digitally enhanced asthma care pathways: Propeller Health (medication tracking sensor) and Respiri Wheezo (wheeze monitoring device). Our analysis evaluates family and clinician engagement, device usability, and behavioural pathways to understand how digital monitoring tools are adopted and sustained in routine paediatric care. (Video)