Enhancing the perceived effectiveness of health behaviour change support systems through transparency in persuasive systems design
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21452440 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sharon Nabwire (0009-0008-5960-6222, University of Oulu, corresponding author), Renata Savian Colvero de Oliveira (0000-0002-3042-2621, University of Oulu), Heta Merikallio (0000-0002-0967-3987, University of Oulu), Markku J Savolainen (0000-0002-2557-6423, University of Oulu), Janne Hukkanen (0000-0003-4981-0525, University of Oulu), Harri Oinas‐Kukkonen (0000-0002-1442-0562, University of Oulu), Harri Oinas-Kukkonen (University of Oulu) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Behaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0144929x.2026.2638915 |
| OpenAlex | W7134982515 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 57 |
Behaviour change support systems (BCSS) have received considerable attention owing to their design features that foster healthy habits and promote sustainable behavioural changes. Transformative in nature, BCSS deliberately seeks to intentionally prompt a user’s rational behavioural changes. Systems transparency is a vital underlying element in the ethical design of systems aimed at supporting behaviour change. This research investigates the role of transparency in influencing the perception of a system’s persuasiveness and effectiveness of a mobile health BCSS (mHBCSS) for weight management. A research model was constructed and subsequently validated through an empirical study involving 161 subjects in a randomised controlled trial. The data analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results indicate that transparency has a significant influence on the perceived credibility of the mHBCSS (57.8% variance explained in credibility support) and on how people receive system feedback (56.8% variance explained in dialogue support). Primary task, dialogue, and credibility support explained 69.9% of the variance in perceived persuasiveness. Additionally, perceived persuasiveness explained 65.9% of the variance in perceived effectiveness. Our study provides evidence of the importance of designing transparent mHBCSS to boost ethical and practical outcomes
Behavior change · Behaviour change · Persuasive communication · Research design · Systems design · Transparency (behavior) · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
Persuasive Systems Design
How Much Information?
Managing Citizens’ Uncertainty in E-Government Services
Minimum sample size estimation in PLS‐SEM
The influence of gender and other patient characteristics on health care-seeking behaviour
User Acceptance of Information Technology
Consumer Acceptance and Use of Information Technology
A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling
When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM
User Perceptions of Algorithmic Decisions in the Personalized AI System
Transparency in persuasive technology, immersive technology, and online marketing
The role of usability, aesthetics, usefulness and primary task support in predicting the perceived credibility of academic social networking sites
Susceptibility to social influence strategies and persuasive system design
Effective interventions and features for coronary heart disease
Assessing the impact of persuasive features on user’s intention to continuous use
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
The effects of message recipients' power before and after persuasion
Reconsidering Baron and Kenny
| Highly cited | No |
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