key: cord-0809494-jscfikmp
authors: Liu, Ziyang; He, Qionghui; Zhou, Xinyu; Hai, Yong
title: Mobile app-based behaviour change techniques to encourage quarantine compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic
date: 2020-12-02
journal: Public Health
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.11.017
sha: 4cfadae83295529e9bce46033de86790c0bf4e28
doc_id: 809494
cord_uid: jscfikmp

nan

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading in many countries. It has caused many deaths, which has forced governments to introduce measures that restrict movements within the population, including medical isolation and home quarantine. In some countries during the rapid progression of the pandemic, residents were required to stay at home and only leave for essential activities. However, such strong quarantine measures greatly restrict activities and violate citizens' rights. Some reports have shown that not everyone is receptive to voluntary quarantine measures, and mental health, including anxiety and loneliness, may worsen during periods of quarantine. 12

This letter proposes the hypothesis that reward mechanisms based on behaviour change techniques (BCTs) through various mobile applications (apps) may encourage compliance with quarantine measures. Thus, individuals would actively and spontaneously adhere to the imposed restrictions, ultimately resulting in reduced transmission and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behaviour change theories attempt to elucidate the mechanisms for behavioural changes and propose that environmental, personal and behavioural characteristics are the major factors in behavioural determination. BCTs are theory-based methods or techniques for behavioural changes; these interventions can be replicated and are the active components in the process of changing or regulating a certain behaviour. 3 Behaviour change can be promoted by 'increasing the factors that promote behavioural change' or 'reducing the factors that J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f inhibit behavioural change'. 4 BCTs have already been used in many health-improving apps, including apps for smoking cessation and increasing exercise. 56 Apps can also combine with the regional real-time risk levels; for example, increasing the consecutive number of sign-in days required for users in high-risk areas, in addition to providing more rewards to achieve better compliance with spontaneous 'stay at home' behaviours (see supplementary material).

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some apps have used conformity behaviour to encourage people to post their activities at home on social networks to promote quarantine at home, such as Instagram's Tussen Kunst En Quarantine. Many companies and institutions have provided free entertainment or academic resources to the public to support 'staying at home'. However, at present, the measures for promoting adherence to quarantine in these apps are relatively mild, lacking strong indicators and sustainable incentives for users to stay at home spontaneously. The suggestions highlighted in this letter may encourage quarantine J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f

How the COVID-19 pandemic is focusing attention on loneliness and social isolation

Mitigating the psychological effects of social isolation during the covid-19 pandemic

Behavior Change Techniques and Their Mechanisms of Action: A Synthesis of Links Described in Published Intervention Literature

Characterising smoking cessation smartphone applications in terms of behaviour change techniques, engagement and ease-of-use features

The COVID-19 pandemic calls for spatial distancing and social closeness: not for social distancing! International journal of public health

There is no funding for this study.

The Authors declare that we have no conflicts of interest. compliance, thereby further reducing population movement, reducing the risk of infection and reducing the economic cost of suppressing the pandemic.