Description of preliminary list of existing health information technology uses in primary prevention
| Intervention | Primary prevention uses | Description of intervention |
| Mobile phone messaging (SMS or MMS) | Smoking cessation Rodgers et al 9 | Personalised smoking-related and general healthy behaviour-related messages sent to participants as part of a smoking cessation programme. The intervention had other features like being able to text other participants, requesting texts on quitting-related tips and taking polls and quizzes about smoking.9 |
| Adherence in taking vitamin C for preventive reasons Cocosila et al 13 | Text message sent from a virtual character to remind to take a vitamin C pill to participants, where they were expected to ‘acknowledge’ the reminder. If the text was acknowledged, an encouraging message is sent, if not, a reminder message is sent. The encouraging messages were described as amusing while the reminder messages were described as ‘non-amusing’.13 | |
| Healthy behaviour in children Shapiro et al 14 | Feedback text messages sent as part of a programme to promote healthy behaviours in children (to increase physical activity, reduce sugary beverage consumption and screen time). The feedback text messages were sent once the participants sent a text message informing their achievement of predetermined healthy behaviour-related goals.14 | |
| Internet-based interventions | Smoking prevention Buller et al 15 | Internet-based programme for school-children that uses ‘audio narration, graphics, animation, sound effects, and music’ to deliver lessons for smoking prevention with survey questions asked to personalise the lessons for the student.15 |
| HIV prevention Kasatpibal et al 16 | Internet-based educational programme that uses ‘texts, pictures, animation, animated cartoons, videos, message boards, and exercise’ to teach about the risks of HIV for men who have sex with men.16 | |
| Obesity prevention Rerksuppaphol and Rerksuppaphol17 | Internet-based programme for school-aged children to track weight and nutrition-related information and provide personalised information about nutrition and physical activity based on the user’s weight/health status.17 | |
| Telephone-based intervention | Postpartum depression prevention Lewis et al 18 | A telephone-based intervention to increase exercise (known to prevent postpartum depression) as part of a prevention programme. The telephone-based intervention is used to inform and educate the participants about exercising, explain exercise recommendations and encourage participants to maintain exercising.18 |
| Smartphone application (app) | Diabetes prevention Fukuoka et al 19 | An interactive app with a ‘self-monitoring’ tool and a list of tasks for activities that can prevent diabetes like physical activity. The app also provides encouraging feedback based on the user’s input.19 |
MMS, multimedia messaging service; SMS, short message service.