Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Digital health interventions'

Utvecklingen av teknik sker i snabb takt och på grund av Covid-19 ökades kraven på ytterligare ökad digitalisering. En utsatt grupp i detta sammanhang är seniorer, som drabbas av den digitala klyftan. Med åldern isoleras människor alltmer socialt och därmed finns det ett behov av ökad social delaktighet. Samhället bidrar med goda digitala förutsättningar men alla kan inte använda digitala lösningar av diverse anledningar. Syftet med studien var därför att undersöka seniorers upplevelser av arrangerade digitala möten och dess potential för att främja social delaktighet. Metoden för studien var en kvalitativ ansats bestående av fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer och en fokusgruppsintervju baserat på den digitala interventionen 11 e-fika. Analysen genomfördes med innehållsanalys för både intervjuer och fokusgrupp. Studien genomfördes med fyra kvinnor i åldrarna 70–87 år boendes i en mellanstor kommun. Interventionen är ett pilotprojekt i samarbete med en kommun. Resultatet visade på att digitala träffar som 11 e-fika kan främja social delaktighet men seniorerna upplevde osäkerhet samt behov av stöd vid användning. Seniorerna uppgav att de föredrar fysiska träffar men att digitala är ett bra komplement som underlättar för träffar utan fysisk närvaro. Individens inställning till användning har även en påverkan. Slutsatsen var att digitala träffar kan vara fördelaktigt för social delaktighet men visar tydligt att behovet av stöd finns för att kunna använda digitala verktyg. Därför krävs fortsatt mer forskning inom området.<br>The digital society is evolving fast and the demand on digitalization has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. A vulnerable group in this context is seniors whom been affected by digital divide. With age, people become more and more socially isolated and there is a need for increased social participation. Society contributes with good digital conditions, but not everyone knows how to handle digital solutions for various reasons. The aim of the study was therefore to investigate seniors' experiences of arranged digital meetings and their potential to promote social participation. The method for the study was a qualitative content analysis of four semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview after a digital intervention (11 e-fika). The study was conducted with four women aged 70–87 years living in a medium-sized municipality. The intervention was also a pilot project in collaboration with a municipality. The results showed that digital meetings such as 11 e-fika can promote social participation, but the seniors experienced insecurity and need for support during use. The seniors stated that they prefer physical meetings, but that digital is a good complement that facilitates meetings without a physical presence. The individual's attitude to use also has an impact. The conclusion was that digital meetings can be beneficial for social participation, but the need for support when using digital tools is clear. Therefore, further research in the field is required.

Utvecklingen av teknik sker i snabb takt och på grund av Covid-19 ökades kraven på ytterligare ökad digitalisering. En utsatt grupp i detta sammanhang är seniorer, som drabbas av den digitala klyftan. Med åldern isoleras människor alltmer socialt och därmed finns det ett behov av ökad social delaktighet. Samhället bidrar med goda digitala förutsättningar men alla kan inte använda digitala lösningar av diverse anledningar. Syftet med studien var därför att undersöka seniorers upplevelser av arrangerade digitala möten och dess potential för att främja social delaktighet. Metoden för studien var en kvalitativ ansats bestående av fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer och en fokusgruppsintervju baserat på den digitala interventionen 11 e-fika. Analysen genomfördes med innehållsanalys för både intervjuer och fokusgrupp. Studien genomfördes med fyra kvinnor i åldrarna 70–87 år boendes i en mellanstor kommun. Interventionen är ett pilotprojekt i samarbete med en kommun. Resultatet visade på att digitala träffar som 11 e-fika kan främja social delaktighet men seniorerna upplevde osäkerhet samt behov av stöd vid användning. Seniorerna uppgav att de föredrar fysiska träffar men att digitala är ett bra komplement som underlättar för träffar utan fysisk närvaro. Individens inställning till användning har även en påverkan. Slutsatsen var att digitala träffar kan vara fördelaktigt för social delaktighet men visar tydligt att behovet av stöd finns för att kunna använda digitala verktyg. Därför krävs fortsatt mer forskning inom området.<br>The digital society is evolving fast and the demand on digitalization has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. A vulnerable group in this context is seniors whom been affected by digital divide. With age, people become more and more socially isolated and there is a need for increased social participation. Society contributes with good digital conditions, but not everyone knows how to handle digital solutions for various reasons. The aim of the study was therefore to investigate seniors' experiences of arranged digital meetings and their potential to promote social participation. The method for the study was a qualitative content analysis of four semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview after a digital intervention (11 e-fika). The study was conducted with four women aged 70–87 years living in a medium-sized municipality. The intervention was also a pilot project in collaboration with a municipality. The results showed that digital meetings such as 11 e-fika can promote social participation, but the seniors experienced insecurity and need for support during use. The seniors stated that they prefer physical meetings, but that digital is a good complement that facilitates meetings without a physical presence. The individual's attitude to use also has an impact. The conclusion was that digital meetings can be beneficial for social participation, but the need for support when using digital tools is clear. Therefore, further research in the field is required.

There is a need to improve care practices to optimally enhance physical health and health- related quality of life in people with a history of cancer. Intensive treatment of cancer can impact patients both acutely and chronically as long-term or late effects well after treatment completion. As a result, both patients with cancer and cancer survivors need additional support Supportive cancer care, including survivorship and rehabilitation services focuses on developing strategies to support survivors’ well-being and recovery during and after cancer treatment. However, despite the evidence-based benefits of these services, many barriers still exist that may restrict patients with cancer from participation and engagement. One possible solution to these challenges is the use of digital health technologies. The aim of this research was to explore current gaps in knowledge regarding digital health enabled supportive cancer care and design and develop a digital health enabled intervention, specifically tailored to the needs of people with a cancer diagnosis. The experience culminated in the implementation of a 10-week prospective cohort trial, focused on the feasibility and acceptability of a patient-provider tracking and exercise coaching portal. As evidenced by the research studies presented within this thesis, findings suggest that patient-centric supportive care can be provided to cancer patients using a digital health enabled approach. Further, remote monitoring and individual exercise coaching can feasibly be offered to patient populations who may not be able to conveniently access support services, or who choose to access these services remotely. Several recommendations for future research and future directions were provided to further this area of research.

This project aimed to develop a digital web and mobile phone intervention for reducing Estonian adolescent and young adult alcohol and tobacco consumption. A systematic review was conducted, including a meta-analysis based on 32 randomised controlled trials, to investigate the associations with effectiveness of digital interventions in reducing adolescent and young adult alcohol and tobacco consumption. Digital interventions reduced adolescent and young adult weekly drinking (mean difference = -0.55, 95% CI (-1.04, -0.05), I2=93%) and monthly binge drinking (mean difference = -0.30, 95% CI (-0.55, -0.05), I2 = 75%). Digital interventions increased smoking cessation (risk ratio = 1.70, 95% CI (1.37, 2.11), I2= 35%). A qualitative focus group study with Estonian adolescents and young adults (N=22) indicated a lack of knowledge regarding effects of alcohol and tobacco consumption early in life and a recognition of the difficulty to change alcohol and tobacco consumption. A web and mobile phone based intervention programme was appealing to the focus group participants. The development of the first individually tailored web and mobile phone intervention targeting Estonian adolescent and young adult alcohol and tobacco consumption was undertaken. The content of this intervention was informed by the systematic review and meta-analysis, focus group study, psychological theory, and participatory design. The intervention, called MyOwnMe, is a tailored web program linked to a daily mobile phone text-messaging program. A pilot study with Estonian adolescents and young adults (N=22) indicated feasibility of implementation in Estonia and acceptability of intervention content. No difference was found between the intervention and control group in alcohol (mean difference = -0.2 95% CI (-0.9, 0.6), p = 0.62) or tobacco consumption (30-day abstinence from cigarette smoking RR = 1.25, 95% CI (0.81, 1.94)) after the 8-week study period. Results of this pilot study will be used for recommendations in this thesis on the development of individually tailored web and mobile phone interventions for Estonian adolescents and young adults.

Heutzutage erfüllen nur 35 % der Deutschen das empfohlene Maß an körperlicher Bewegung (Robert Koch Institute, 2015). Ein möglicher Grund für diese Inaktivität ist, dass die körperliche Betätigung am Arbeitsplatz sich in den letzten Jahren um insgesamt 28% verringert hat (Wilke, Ashton, Elis, Biallas, & Froböse, 2015). Um dieser Entwicklung entgegenzuwirken, evaluiert die vorliegende Dissertation eine mHealth Intervention bestehend aus Fitnessarmbändern und einem Online Coach, welche die Bewegung von inaktiven Beschäftigten mit Gesundheitsrisiko fördern soll. Zusätzlich wird das Occupational Health Behavior Change (OHBC) Modell als theoretische Grundlage für Veränderungen von Gesundheitsverhalten im betrieblichen Kontext entwickelt. Das OHBC Modell verbindet ein gesundheitspsychologisches Modell mit einem Modell aus dem Bereich der Arbeits-& Organisationspsychologie und stellt die Grundlage für die beiden veröffentlichten Studien der Dissertation dar. Studie I bewertet den Effekt der Intervention auf körperliche Gesundheit und arbeitsbezogenem Wohlbefinden anhand eines randomisiert kontrollierten Studiendesigns und unter Berücksichtigung von Langzeiteffekten. Beschäftigte in der Interventionsgruppe zeigten eine Verbesserung ihrer physischen Gesundheit bis zu einem Jahr nach der Intervention, jedoch wurde kein Effekt auf arbeitsbezogenes Wohlbefinden gefunden. Studie II zeigt, dass die Schrittanzahl und die Beeinträchtigung des Wohlbefindens während der Intervention verbessert werden und beantwortet weiterführende Fragen über die Effektivität der Intervention anhand von modernen statistischen Methoden. Abschließend werden die Ergebnisse der beiden Studien diskutiert und dabei die Struktur des neu kreierten OHBC Modells überprüft. Insgesamt zeigt die vorliegende Dissertation, dass Fitnessarmbändern kombiniert mit einem Online Coach eine effektive Intervention darstellen, um körperliche Aktivität, physische Gesundheit und das Wohlbefinden von Beschäftigten zu fördern.<br>Nowadays only 35% of the German population performs the recommended amount of physical activity (Robert Koch Institute, 2015). A reason for this inactivity might be that the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activities at work (e.g., brisk walking or moving heavy loads) has diminished by about 28% within the last decades (Wilke et al., 2015). To counteract this alarming development, this dissertation evaluates an mHealth intervention that aims to promote physical activity in the working environment. In particular, this intervention combines activity trackers with an online coach to promote physical activity among inactive employees at risk. Furthermore, this dissertation creates the Occupational Health Behavior Change (OHBC) model as a theoretical framework for changing health behavior within a work setting by combining a model of the health psychology with a model of the industrial and organizational psychology. The model functions as the basis for the two published studies of the dissertation. Study 1 evaluated the intervention by using a randomized controlled trial design and assessed long-term effects on employees’ physical health and work-related well-being. The results show that employees in the intervention group improved their physical health up to one year after the intervention whereas no effect was found for work-related well-being. Study 2 shows that the number of steps and impaired well-being were improved during the intervention and clarified several additional questions about the intervention’s efficacy by applying modern statistical methods. Finally, the findings of the studies were discussed and the theoretical structure of the newly created OHBC model was reviewed based on the studies’ results. Taken together, the overall findings show that combining activity trackers with an online coach constitutes an effective intervention for occupational health promotion with the aim of promoting physical activity, health and well-being among employees.

Sustained customisation of digital health intervention (DHI) programs, in the context of community health engagement, requires strong integration of multi-sourced interdisciplinary biopsychosocial health data. The biopsychosocial model is built upon the idea that biological, psychological and social processes are integrally and interactively involved in physical health and illness. One of the longstanding challenges of dealing with healthcare data is the wide variety of data generated from different sources and the increasing need to learn actionable insights that drive performance improvement. The growth of information and communication technology has led to the increased use of DHI programs. These programs use an observational methodology that helps researchers to study the everyday behaviour of participants during the course of the program by analysing data generated from digital tools such as wearables, online surveys and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Combined with data reported from biological and psychological tests, this provides rich and unique biopsychosocial data. There is a strong need to review and apply novel approaches to combining biopsychosocial data from a methodological perspective. Although some studies have used data analytics in research on clinical trial data generated from digital interventions, data analytics on biopsychosocial data generated from DHI programs is limited. The study in this thesis develops and implements innovative approaches for analysing the existing unique and rich biopsychosocial data generated from the wellness study, a DHI program conducted by the School of Science, Psychology and Sport at Federation University. The characteristics of variety, value and veracity that usually describe big data are also relevant to the biopsychosocial data handled in this thesis. These historical, retrospective real-life biopsychosocial data provide fertile ground for research through the use of data analytics to discover patterns hidden in the data and to obtain new knowledge. This thesis presents the studies carried out on three aspects of biopsychosocial research. First, we present the salient traits of the three components - biological, psychological and social - of biopsychosocial research. Next, we investigate the challenges of pre-processing biopsychosocial data, placing special emphasis on the time-series data generated from wearable sensor devices. Finally, we present the application of statistical and machine learning (ML) tools to integrate variables from the biopsychosocial disciplines to build a predictive model. The first chapter presents the salient features of the biopsychosocial data for each discipline. The second chapter presents the challenges of pre-processing biopsychosocial data, focusing on the time-series data generated from wearable sensor devices. The third chapter uses statistical and ML tools to integrate variables from the biopsychosocial disciplines to build a predictive model. Among its other important analyses and results, the key contributions of the research described in this thesis include the following: 1. using gamma distribution to model neurocognitive reaction time data that presents interesting properties (skewness and kurtosis for the data distribution) 2. using novel ‘peak heart-rate’ count metric to quantify ‘biological’ stress 3. using the ML approach to evaluate DHIs 4. using a recurrent neural network (RNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) data prediction model to predict Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and primary emotion (PE) using wearable sensor data.<br>Doctor of Philosophy

Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are increasing worldwide due to unhealthy lifestyle habits. Behavior change support systems (BCSS) are a new means of promoting a sustainable lifestyle change. These systems are more effective when behavior change theories are applied. The aim of this thesis to integrate well-known behavior change theories into a conceptual model of behavior change progress to form the basis for the BCSS. The research question of this thesis is: what parameters of behavior change should be included in a conceptual model of behavior change progress? The model was created by integrating concepts and their relationships from existing behavior change theories. Next, the model was the validated by experts in behavior change. The outcome is a conceptual framework that can be function as a tool for understanding causal relationship between behavior change concepts, for presenting feedback, and building automated assessments. Furthermore, the model extends already existing knowledge networks.<br>På grund av allmänhetens ohälsosamma vanor ökar Diabetes och kardiovaskulära sjukdomar i hela världen. Olika stödsystem för beteendeförändringar (BCSS) är ett nytt sätt att främja en hållbar livsstilsförändring. Dessa system är mer effektiva då beteendeförändringsteorier tillämpas. Syftet med denna avhandling är att integrera välkända teorier om beteendeförändring i en konceptuell modell av beteendeförändringsframsteg som kan ligga till grund för BCSS. Forskningsfrågan i denna avhandling är: Vilka parametrar för beteendeförändring ska ingå i en konceptuell modell för beteendeförändringsframsteg? Modellen skapades genom att integrera koncept och deras relationer från befintliga teorier om beteendeförändring. Resultatet är ett konceptuellt ramverk som kan fungera som ett verktyg för att förstå orsakssambandet mellan beteendeförändringsbegrepp, för att presentera feedback och för att bygga automatiserade bedömningar. Dessutom utökar modellen redan befintliga kunskapsnätverk.

abstract: Many individual-level behavioral interventions improve health and well-being. However, most interventions exhibit considerable heterogeneity in response. Put differently, what might be effective on average might not be effective for specific individuals. From an individual’s perspective, many healthy behaviors exist that seem to have a positive impact. However, few existing tools support people in identifying interventions that work for them, personally. One approach to support such personalization is via self-experimentation using single-case designs. ‘Hack Your Health’ is a tool that guides individuals through an 18-day self-experiment to test if an intervention they choose (e.g., meditation, gratitude journaling) improves their own psychological well-being (e.g., stress, happiness), whether it fits in their routine, and whether they enjoy it. The purpose of this work was to conduct a formative evaluation of Hack Your Health to examine user burden, adherence, and to evaluate its usefulness in supporting decision-making about a health intervention. A mixed-methods approach was used, and two versions of the tool were tested via two waves of participants (Wave 1, N=20; Wave 2, N=8). Participants completed their self-experiments and provided feedback via follow-up surveys (n=26) and interviews (n=20). Findings indicated that the tool had high usability and low burden overall. Average survey completion rate was 91%, and compliance to protocol was 72%. Overall, participants found the experience useful to test if their chosen intervention helped them. However, there were discrepancies between participants’ intuition about intervention effect and results from analyses. Participants often relied on intuition/lived experience over results for decision-making. This suggested that the usefulness of Hack Your Health in its current form might be through the structure, accountability, and means for self-reflection it provided rather than the specific experimental design/results. Additionally, situations where performing interventions within a rigorous/restrictive experimental set-up may not be appropriate (e.g., when goal is to assess intervention enjoyment) were uncovered. Plausible design implications include: longer experimental and phase durations, accounting for non-compliance, missingness, and proximal/acute effects, and exploring strategies to complement quantitative data with participants’ lived experiences with interventions to effectively support decision-making. Future work should explore ways to balance scientific rigor with participants’ needs for such decision-making.<br>Dissertation/Thesis<br>Doctoral Dissertation Exercise and Nutritional Sciences 2019

Clinicians with a high level of physical activity (PA) are more likely to recommend PA to their clients, compared with those with a low level of PA. Interventions to increase PA and reduce sedentary behaviour (SB) among mental health professionals may, therefore, indirectly benefit their clients with mental disorders. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing PA and reducing SB among mental health professionals in changing their attitudes towards and practices in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. Therefore, four studies were conducted as a part of this PhD thesis, to address this overarching research question. A critical evaluation of interventions for increasing PA (Chapter 4) and systematic reviews and meta-analyses of interventions for reducing SB (Studies 1 and 2) provided information about the effectiveness of various PA and SB interventions among adults. The literature identified that for PA promotion, there is evidence on the short-term effectiveness of interventions based on counseling/support, and health promotion messages/information, but evidence on the long-term effectiveness of these interventions is limited. The systematic reviews also found that the use of sit-stand desks at work, restricting the use of TV devices in leisure time, and educational interventions outside workplace were effective strategies in reducing SB in the short term, however evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in the long term is limited. Digital interventions, such as a prompts on the computer screen, and the use of wearable devices were found to be increasingly popular interventions for increasing PA and reducing SB. Evidence on the effectiveness of PA and SB interventions specifically among mental health professionals is scarce, but it can be assumed that most of the interventions that are effective in the general population of adults will also be effective among mental health professionals. Study 3 explored attitudes and practices of mental health professionals in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. Data were collected using a modified Exercise in Mental Illness Questionnaire in a sample of 17 Australian mental health professionals. Additionally, in focus group discussions, 10 mental health professionals provided in-depth information about their practices, facilitators, and perceived barriers in recommending more PA and less SB. It was found that PA and SB counselling in the mental health setting could be improved by: including training on PA and SB counselling in formal education and continued professional training for mental health professionals; implementing interventions to increase PA and reduce SB among mental health professionals themselves; and ensuring support from an exercise or PA promotion specialist as a part of a multi-disciplinary approach to mental health care. Study 4 investigated the effects of an intervention designed to increase PA and reduce SB among mental health professionals on their attitudes towards and practices in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. The intervention was informed by the findings of the Chapter 4, Study 1 and Study 2, and it consisted of a single group-based behaviour change session, which included a presentation of various strategies to increase PA and reduce SB and goal setting according to the SMART goals approach. An information booklet containing 24 strategies to increase PA and reduce SB was also provided to the participants. They also received reminder texts/calls during the following three weeks of the intervention. There was no significant overall change in PA and SB among mental health professionals, but the intervention had a positive effect on their attitudes towards recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. The mental health professionals who increased their own PA during the intervention (compared to those who did not) significantly increased the frequency of recommending more PA (p= 0.009) and less SB (p= 0.005) to their clients. Two post-intervention focus group discussions with the participants suggested that the intervention positively influenced their confidence in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients and provided them with pragmatic strategies to include in their practice. The findings of the studies included in this thesis suggest that a relatively simple intervention has the potential to improve mental health professionals’ attitudes towards and practices in recommending more PA and less SB to their clients. The intervention could be scaled up to promote more PA and less SB within mental health settings, with potential benefits for mental health professionals and their clients.

No<br>The mental health benefits of physical activity and exercise are well-documented and asylum seekers who may have poor mental health could benefit from undertaking recommended levels of physical activity or exercise. Digital mobile applications are increasingly seen as feasible to precipitate behaviour change and could be a means to encourage asylum seekers to increase their levels of physical activity and exercise. This paper reports on a study that aimed to assess the feasibility of asylum seekers using the digital animation as a tool to change behaviour and increase their physical activity and exercise levels. A feasibility study underpinned by the principles of the COM-B behaviour change model was undertaken in West Yorkshire, UK, in 2019. Thirty participants were purposively recruited and interviewed. Peer interpreters were used as necessary. Deductive thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. Overall, participants were positive about the feasibility of asylum seekers using the application as a behaviour change intervention. All expressed the view that it was easy to follow and would motivate them to increase their physical activity levels. Participants identified facilitators to this as the simplicity of the key messages, the cultural neutrality of the graphics and the availability of the mobile application in different languages. Identified barriers related to the dialect and accents in the translations and the over-simplicity of the application. This study has identified that a targeted digital animation intervention could help asylum seekers change their behaviour and hence improve their health and well-being. In designing such interventions, however, researchers must strongly consider co-design from an early stage as this is an important way to ensure that the development of an intervention is fit for purpose for different groups.<br>University of Bradford Research Development Fund

O consumo de tabaco é o fator de risco mais evitável associado a doenças não-transmissíveis, incapacidade e perda de anos de vida saudáveis. As aplicações de telemóvel parecem promissoras como meio de intervenção na cessação tabágica. No entanto, tendo em conta a escassez de aplicações baseadas em evidência científica e a inexistência deste tipo de aplicações disponíveis em português, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a experiência dos utilizadores com uma versão traduzida e adaptada para português da aplicação Smoke Free. A amostra foi constituída por 11 fumadores com intenção de deixar de fumar, entrevistados individualmente após utilizarem esta aplicação durante uma semana. As entrevistas permitiram avaliar a sua satisfação e grau de envolvimento, bem como a utilidade e usabilidade da aplicação. Os resultados sugerem que os participantes acharam a aplicação fácil de utilizar e ficaram satisfeitos. Adicionalmente, destacaram as funcionalidades mais úteis (e.g., painel inicial), os métodos que os ajudaram (e.g., monitorização), as necessidades sentidas ao longo da interação (e.g., maior personalização) e o que os motivou mais (e.g., compromisso com a aplicação). Quanto ao envolvimento, os resultados foram contraditórios, embora a aplicação pareça incluir elementos que propiciam a vontade de a usar continuamente. Apesar das opiniões terem sido sobretudo positivas, é possível concluir que existem alguns aspetos a melhorar na aplicação (e.g., incluir conteúdos de preparação para quem ainda não deixou de fumar) de forma a adaptá-la adequadamente às necessidades de cada utilizador. Isto reforça a importância do desenvolvimento de estudos centrados na experiência dos utilizadores.<br>Tobacco use is the most preventable risk factor associated with noncommunicable illness, disability and loss of healthy life years. Mobile applications appear promising as a means of intervention in smoking cessation. However, given the scarcity of applications based on scientific evidence and the lack of such applications available in Portuguese, the goal of this study was to evaluate users' experience with a translated and adapted version of the Smoke Free application. The sample consisted of 11 smokers with intention to quit smoking, interviewed individually after using this application for one week. The interviews were conducted to evaluate their satisfaction and degree of engagement, as well as the utility and usability of the application. The results suggest that the participants found the application easy to use and were satisfied. In addition, they highlighted the most useful features (e.g., main panel), the methods that helped them (e.g., monitoring), the needs felt throughout the interaction (e.g., greater customization) and what motivated them the most (e.g., commitment to the application). Regarding engagement, the results were contradictory, although the application seems to include elements that foster the will to use it continuously. Although opinions have been mostly positive, it is possible to conclude that there are some improvements to be made in the application (e.g., including preparation contents for those who haven’t stopped smoking) in order to adapt it adequately to the needs of each user. This reinforces the importance of developing studies focused on the user experience.

Ao longo dos anos tem-se assistido a uma crescente e efetiva integração e participação da saúde oral no conceito de saúde geral. A ausência de intervenções educativas infantis, assim como a aplicação de estratégias comportamentais ainda são consideradas lacunas na sociedade atual. O objetivo geral desta dissertação passou pela análise da eficácia das intervenções educativas na saúde oral da criança, sendo também proposto uma estratégia para o Projeto “Ser Criança”. Como resultado da revisão narrativa das intervenções educativas é crucial realçar que a maior parte das atividades lúdicas são proveitosas na transmissão de valores motivacionais. O recurso aos jogos didáticos, exploração de macro modelos odontológicos, o teatro e a música são exemplos válidos destas atividades. Também as intervenções baseadas em meios digitais (aplicações informáticas e internet) provam ser uma constante demonstração de sucesso para o crescimento pessoal e cognitivo das crianças. A aposta numa ferramenta digital dirigida aos ensinos pré-escolar e escolar, através de uma vertente web-base permite, especialmente no contexto de pandemia que se vive atualmente, o acesso imensurável a múltiplas possibilidades. A proposta para o Projeto “Ser Criança” envolve a elaboração de um site - “Ser Criança - Aprender a Sorrir” dirigido para os três grupos-alvo: crianças, pais e educadores/professores. Com esta proposta, espera-se que crianças, famílias e comunidades escolares melhorem hábitos comportamentais relativos à saúde oral e que, de certa forma, funcionem como um todo na apreensão de conhecimento, prevenção e adesão a intervenções educacionais. A educação de futuras gerações que envolva estratégias interventivas educativas aliciantes, didáticas e, acima de tudo pedagógicas pode revolucionar o atual panorama de ensino, principalmente na medicina dentária.<br>Over the years, there has been an increasing and effective integration and participation of oral health in the concept of general health. The absence of educational interventions for children, as well as the application of behavioral strategies are still considered gaps in today's society. The main objective of this dissertation was to analyze the effectiveness of educational interventions in children's oral health, and a strategy for the “Ser Criança” project was also proposed. As a result of the narrative review of educational interventions, it is crucial to emphasize that most recreational activities are beneficial in the transmission of motivational values. The use of educational games, exploration of macro dental models, theater and music are valid examples of these activities. Interventions based on digital media (applications or “apps” and the Internet) also prove to be a constant demonstration of success for children's personal and cognitive growth. The bet on a digital tool aimed at pre-school and school education, through a web-based aspect allows, especially in the context of the current pandemic, an immeasurable access to multiple possibilities. The interventive suggestion for the “Ser Criança” Project involves the development of a website - “Ser Criança – Aprender a Sorrir” destined to three target groups: children, parents and educators / teachers. With this proposition, it is expected that children, families and school communities change behavioral habits related to oral health. They work as a whole in the apprehension of knowledge, prevention and adherence to educational interventions. Educating the next generation using attractive educational, didactic and, above all pedagogical interventions can revolutionize the current teaching landscape, especially in the field of dental medicine.