User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration
BackgroundSmoking and physical inactivity compromise health, especially in combination. Interventions to promote smoking cessation and increased physical activity (PA) often lack impact, especially in the long term. Digital future-self interventions (FSIs), which prompt indiv...
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JMIR Publications
2025-06-01
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| Series: | JMIR Formative Research |
| Online Access: | https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e63893 |
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| author | Kristell M Penfornis Nele Albers Willem-Paul Brinkman Mark A Neerincx Andrea WM Evers Winifred A Gebhardt Eline Meijer |
| author_facet | Kristell M Penfornis Nele Albers Willem-Paul Brinkman Mark A Neerincx Andrea WM Evers Winifred A Gebhardt Eline Meijer |
| author_sort | Kristell M Penfornis |
| collection | DOAJ |
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BackgroundSmoking and physical inactivity compromise health, especially in combination. Interventions to promote smoking cessation and increased physical activity (PA) often lack impact, especially in the long term. Digital future-self interventions (FSIs), which prompt individuals to imagine who they do and do not want to become (ie, their desired and undesired future selves), show promise in encouraging sustainable changes in both behaviors. However, knowledge of user experiences with digital FSIs is limited. A deeper understanding of these experiences could help optimize FSIs, enhancing their efficacy in supporting smoking cessation and increased PA sustainably.
ObjectiveThis study examined behavioral, cognitive, and affective experiences with digital FSIs focused on smoking, PA, or both. Potential differences in user experiences based on behavior (smoking vs PA), polarity (desired vs undesired future self), and modality (verbal vs visual description of future selves) were explored.
MethodsSecondary analyses of quantitative and qualitative survey data from 3 studies using digital FSIs as a means to encourage smoking cessation or increase PA were conducted. In study 1, participants (N=144) thought about how it would be to complete the FSI. In studies 2 (N=447) and 3 (N=87), they completed an FSI. Each study highlighted different aspects of user experiences with FSIs, namely, behavioral (eg, time spent), cognitive (eg, mental effort exerted), or affective (eg, emotions) experiences. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated for a comprehensive interpretation.
ResultsRegarding behavioral experiences, participants completed future-self tasks promptly (mean 6.64, SD 8.30 minutes), spent less time completing the desired- versus undesired-future-self (P<.001; ηp2=0.227) and verbal versus visual (P=.03; ηp2=0.060; quantitative) tasks, and integrated the tasks into their lives (qualitative). Despite tasks being preparatory and not actively encouraging behavior change, multiple participants reported implementing changes in their smoking or PA (qualitative). Regarding cognitive experiences, moderate effort (mean 5.85/10, SD 2.56) was exerted on the tasks regardless of behavior (P=.69; ηp2=0.002), modality (P=.45; ηp2=0.004), or polarity (P=.69; ηp2=0.002; quantitative). Experiences of task difficulty were inconsistent across studies, individuals, and tasks, although mental visualization and describing one’s future self using images were consistently reported as challenging (quantitative and qualitative). Future-self tasks were reported to prompt cognitive processes such as contemplating consequences of smoking and PA behavior (qualitative). Regarding affective experiences, desired- and undesired-future-self tasks elicited different emotions (P<.001; ηp2=0.630; quantitative). Desired-future-self tasks were perceived as enjoyable and happiness inducing, whereas undesired-future-self tasks were perceived as confronting and unpleasant, evoking feelings of sadness, fear, and anger (quantitative and qualitative).
ConclusionsDigital FSIs appeared to be a time-efficient, feasible, and acceptable way of strengthening identities as a means to encourage smoking cessation and PA. Findings support continued implementation of digital FSIs, although further research is required to optimize their operationalization. Avenues in that regard are proposed and discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-03372dda7f1d4735a1cbc51c725ad033 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
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| series | JMIR Formative Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-03372dda7f1d4735a1cbc51c725ad0332025-08-20T03:31:27ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Formative Research2561-326X2025-06-019e6389310.2196/63893User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy ExplorationKristell M Penfornishttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9758-9004Nele Albershttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0502-6176Willem-Paul Brinkmanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8485-7092Mark A Neerincxhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8161-5722Andrea WM Evershttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0090-5091Winifred A Gebhardthttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8067-5598Eline Meijerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7078-5067 BackgroundSmoking and physical inactivity compromise health, especially in combination. Interventions to promote smoking cessation and increased physical activity (PA) often lack impact, especially in the long term. Digital future-self interventions (FSIs), which prompt individuals to imagine who they do and do not want to become (ie, their desired and undesired future selves), show promise in encouraging sustainable changes in both behaviors. However, knowledge of user experiences with digital FSIs is limited. A deeper understanding of these experiences could help optimize FSIs, enhancing their efficacy in supporting smoking cessation and increased PA sustainably. ObjectiveThis study examined behavioral, cognitive, and affective experiences with digital FSIs focused on smoking, PA, or both. Potential differences in user experiences based on behavior (smoking vs PA), polarity (desired vs undesired future self), and modality (verbal vs visual description of future selves) were explored. MethodsSecondary analyses of quantitative and qualitative survey data from 3 studies using digital FSIs as a means to encourage smoking cessation or increase PA were conducted. In study 1, participants (N=144) thought about how it would be to complete the FSI. In studies 2 (N=447) and 3 (N=87), they completed an FSI. Each study highlighted different aspects of user experiences with FSIs, namely, behavioral (eg, time spent), cognitive (eg, mental effort exerted), or affective (eg, emotions) experiences. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated for a comprehensive interpretation. ResultsRegarding behavioral experiences, participants completed future-self tasks promptly (mean 6.64, SD 8.30 minutes), spent less time completing the desired- versus undesired-future-self (P<.001; ηp2=0.227) and verbal versus visual (P=.03; ηp2=0.060; quantitative) tasks, and integrated the tasks into their lives (qualitative). Despite tasks being preparatory and not actively encouraging behavior change, multiple participants reported implementing changes in their smoking or PA (qualitative). Regarding cognitive experiences, moderate effort (mean 5.85/10, SD 2.56) was exerted on the tasks regardless of behavior (P=.69; ηp2=0.002), modality (P=.45; ηp2=0.004), or polarity (P=.69; ηp2=0.002; quantitative). Experiences of task difficulty were inconsistent across studies, individuals, and tasks, although mental visualization and describing one’s future self using images were consistently reported as challenging (quantitative and qualitative). Future-self tasks were reported to prompt cognitive processes such as contemplating consequences of smoking and PA behavior (qualitative). Regarding affective experiences, desired- and undesired-future-self tasks elicited different emotions (P<.001; ηp2=0.630; quantitative). Desired-future-self tasks were perceived as enjoyable and happiness inducing, whereas undesired-future-self tasks were perceived as confronting and unpleasant, evoking feelings of sadness, fear, and anger (quantitative and qualitative). ConclusionsDigital FSIs appeared to be a time-efficient, feasible, and acceptable way of strengthening identities as a means to encourage smoking cessation and PA. Findings support continued implementation of digital FSIs, although further research is required to optimize their operationalization. Avenues in that regard are proposed and discussed.https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e63893 |
| spellingShingle | Kristell M Penfornis Nele Albers Willem-Paul Brinkman Mark A Neerincx Andrea WM Evers Winifred A Gebhardt Eline Meijer User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration JMIR Formative Research |
| title | User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration |
| title_full | User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration |
| title_fullStr | User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration |
| title_full_unstemmed | User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration |
| title_short | User Experiences With Digital Future-Self Interventions in the Contexts of Smoking and Physical Inactivity: Mixed Methods Multistudy Exploration |
| title_sort | user experiences with digital future self interventions in the contexts of smoking and physical inactivity mixed methods multistudy exploration |
| url | https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e63893 |
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