Citizen-centric design in mHealth: concept mapping for active transportation promotion
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Siriaporn, Nuttanun
de Nazelle, Audrey
Vuillemin, Anne
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Purpose
Active transportation (AT) offers a sustainable means of enhancing daily physical activity and mitigating transportation-related pollution. Leveraging mobile health (mhealth) technology can be a valuable tool to promote AT behavior. However, existing interventions often lack evidence-based behavior change techniques and rarely involve potential end-users in the development process. This study aims to explore the promotion of AT through mhealth interventions using a participatory approach.
Methods
We conducted online concept mapping sessions with residents of the Alpes-Maritimes Department in France. Participants engaged in brainstorming, sorting, and rating of ideas related to app features designed to encourage AT. We employed multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to visualize the participants’ collective conceptual thinking on this subject. Data was stratified by participant demographics, including age, education, and typical mode of transportation.
Results
Participants collectively generated 44 ideas perceived as useful to fostering AT behaviors. These ideas formed six main concepts, ranked by efficiency to encourage AT as follows: Infrastructure (n = 9 ideas), Itinerary (n = 9), Contact with government (n = 4); Data (n = 12); App usability (n = 6); and Legislation and code of conduct (n = 4).
Conclusions
The study highlights the pivotal role of infrastructure in fostering AT. Travelers could also be effectively engaged through app features such as tailored information on the presence and quality of AT infrastructure, hybrid multimodal journey planning, and time and cost savings by different travel modes. Engaging with local governments via the app is identified as a novel and promising approach to AT promotion. Indications of specific tailoring opportunities for different demographic groups need to be further investigated.
Active transportation (AT) offers a sustainable means of enhancing daily physical activity and mitigating transportation-related pollution. Leveraging mobile health (mhealth) technology can be a valuable tool to promote AT behavior. However, existing interventions often lack evidence-based behavior change techniques and rarely involve potential end-users in the development process. This study aims to explore the promotion of AT through mhealth interventions using a participatory approach.
Methods
We conducted online concept mapping sessions with residents of the Alpes-Maritimes Department in France. Participants engaged in brainstorming, sorting, and rating of ideas related to app features designed to encourage AT. We employed multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to visualize the participants’ collective conceptual thinking on this subject. Data was stratified by participant demographics, including age, education, and typical mode of transportation.
Results
Participants collectively generated 44 ideas perceived as useful to fostering AT behaviors. These ideas formed six main concepts, ranked by efficiency to encourage AT as follows: Infrastructure (n = 9 ideas), Itinerary (n = 9), Contact with government (n = 4); Data (n = 12); App usability (n = 6); and Legislation and code of conduct (n = 4).
Conclusions
The study highlights the pivotal role of infrastructure in fostering AT. Travelers could also be effectively engaged through app features such as tailored information on the presence and quality of AT infrastructure, hybrid multimodal journey planning, and time and cost savings by different travel modes. Engaging with local governments via the app is identified as a novel and promising approach to AT promotion. Indications of specific tailoring opportunities for different demographic groups need to be further investigated.
Date Issued
2025-03-01
Date Acceptance
2025-02-17
Citation
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2025, 30
ISSN
2590-1982
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Volume
30
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
10.1016/j.trip.2025.101367
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
101367
Date Publish Online
2025-03-01