A Systematic Review of Behaviour Change Technologies for Influencing Healthy Nutrition

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The use of technologies to support people's weight management efforts and to influence nutrition is a developing research area in Canada compared to the UK where digital health tools are prescribed by GPs. The current state of the art in the design of digital health tools is unknown. In addition, there is currently no framework to guide the design and development of such technologies. This research aims to fill these gaps with a collaboration with a UK-based academic. The main objective of this international collaboration is to develop a design framework for the development of digital tools that can influence healthy nutrition. To achieve this we will carry out a systematic literature review of existing technologies for nutrition in Canada and the UK to identify the types of technologies that currently exist, the platforms that were used for their development, the features of the technologies, the philosophy or theories behind the design, specific features or platforms developed for certain demographics, the way the technologies were evaluated and, the success rate of the technologies in making people adopt healthier food choices. We will then carry out user studies in Canada and the UK to validate the findings from the literature review. Furthermore, we will compare the results from both countries to identify similarities and differences. The anticipated outcome is the development of a design framework for creating digital health tools that can be recommended by healthcare practitioners in Canada to their patients to support the development of healthy nutrition habits. This research is important as it will provide researchers with the opportunity to investigate and explore successful technologies and tools that were created and used by UK researchers to influence peoples' eating habits. The resulting framework will guide the development of technologies that can support patients in developing healthier nutrition habits. This, in the long run, can decrease the obesity growth rate in Canada which will reduce the strain on the healthcare sector and diseases caused by the complications of obesity.