Background: There is some initial evidence suggesting that mindsets about the adequacy and health consequences of one’s physical activity (activity adequacy mindsets [AAMs]) can shape physical activity behavior, health, and well-being. However, it is unknown how to leverage these mindsets using wearable technology and other interventions. Objective: This research examined how wearable fitness trackers and meta-mindset interventions influence AAMs, affect, behavior, and health. Methods: A total of 162 community-dwelling adults were recruited via flyers and web-based platforms (ie, Craigslist and Nextdoor; final sample size after attrition or exclusion of 45 participants). Participants received an Apple Watch (Apple Inc) to wear for 5 weeks, which was equipped with an app that recorded step count and could display a (potentially manipulated) step count on the watch face. After a baseline week of receiving no feedback about step count, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups: they received either accurate step count (reference group; 41/162, 25.3%), 40% deflated step count (40/162, 24.7%), 40% inflated step count (40/162, 24.7%), or accurate step count+a web-based meta-mindset intervention teaching participants the value of adopting more positive AAMs (41/162, 25.3%). Participants were blinded to the condition. Outcome measures were taken in the laboratory by an experimenter at the beginning and end of participation and via web-based surveys in between. Longitudinal analysis examined changes within the accurate step count condition from baseline to treatment and compared them with changes in the deflated step count, inflated step count, and meta-mindset conditions. Results: Participants receiving accurate step counts perceived their activity as more adequate and healthier, adopted a healthier diet, and experienced improved mental health (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS]-29) and aerobic capacity but also reduced functional health (PROMIS-29; compared with their no-step-count baseline). Participants exposed to deflated step counts perceived their activity as more inadequate; ate more unhealthily; and experienced more negative affect, reduced self-esteem and mental health, and increased blood pressure and heart rate (compared with participants receiving accurate step counts). Inflated step counts did not change AAM or most other outcomes (compared with accurate step counts). Participants receiving the meta-mindset intervention experienced improved AAM, affect, functional health, and self-reported physical activity (compared with participants receiving accurate step counts only). Actual step count did not change in either condition. Conclusions: AAMs––induced by trackers or adopted deliberately––can influence affect, behavior, and health independently of actual physical activity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03939572; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03939572

Objective: Scan‐related anxiety (“scanxiety”) refers to the fear, stress, and anxiety in anticipation of tests and scans in follow‐up cancer care. This study assessed the feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) for real‐world, real‐time capture of scanxiety using patients' personal smartphone.Methods: Adolescent and Young Adult survivors of childhood cancer were prompted to complete EMA surveys on a smartphone app three times per day for 11 days (33 surveys total) around their routine surveillance scans. Participants provided structured feedback on the EMA protocol.Results: Thirty out of 46 contacted survivors (65%) enrolled, exceeding the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 55%. The survey completion rate (83%) greatly exceeded the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 65%. Participants generally found the smartphone app easy and enjoyable to use and reported low levels of distress from answering surveys. Participants reported significantly more daily fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and negative affect in the days before compared to the days after surveillance scans, aligning with the expected trajectory of scanxiety. Participants who reported greater FCR and scanxiety using comprehensive measures at baseline also reported significantly more daily FCR around their surveillance scans, indicating validity of EMA items. Bodily threat monitoring was prospectively and concurrently associated with daily FCR, thus warranting further investigation as a risk factor for scanxiety.Conclusions: Findings indicate the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of EMA as a research tool to capture the dynamics and potential risk factors for scanxiety.

There is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate sustainability considerations early-on in the product development (PD) process (PDP). As part of a case study at an engineering consultancy firm, this paper identifies considerations that influence the integration of sustainable design practices into real-world PD practices. This is informed by the first author becoming embedded in the firm as an intern, and closely observing the PD workflow across various projects, conducting interviews and group discussions with a wide range of practitioners, and iteratively designing and testing various potential interventions. From the literature and observations, we find that designers and engineers often struggle to identify and apply the right sustainable design methods and tools (SDMTs) to tackle the environmental impacts associated with their products. Through a human-centered design process, we co-created a reusable, modular framework of practices that aids the selection of relevant strategies, based on the environmental hotspots, stage of the PD process, and the client’s sustainability priorities. Our prominent findings highlight the importance of: (a) co-creation in enhancing receptivity and retention, (b) the use of LCA iteratively to inform design decisions throughout PD, and (c) sharing case studies of successful application of the framework to promote sustainable design among employees and clients, alongside several other takeaways. The paper further presents insights related to the framework’s real-world application and impacts in the firm, based on results of longitudinal engagement with the firm.

Stories are a core way human beings make meaning and sense of the world and our lived experiences, including our behaviors, desires, and goals. Narrative structures, both visual and textual, help us understand and act on information, while also evoking strong emotions. Focusing on the health context, this research examines the effectiveness of narrative-based feedback in motivating physical activity behaviors and underlying attitudes over longitudinal periods. After collecting two weeks of baseline physical activity levels, N=39 participants installed our smartphone application, WhoIsZuki. The WhoIsZuki app supports goal setting and semi-automated activity tracking, and it provides an ambient display that visually encodes these tracked activities as well as progress toward goals. Half of participants received a version of the interface that supplied behavioral feedback in the form of a multi-chapter episodic narrative, while the other half received a control condition version that provided an aesthetically-similar visualization but without any characterization, episodic structure, dramatic effect, or other narrative elements. After interacting with these versions for four months, our analysis showed that participants receiving the multi-chapter narrative feedback performed more physical activity, achieved more goals, experienced more positive psychological shifts, and overall engaged more meaningfully with the digital intervention.