Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs) in Mobile Health

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key components, terminology, and specific examples related to JITAIs as discussed in the provided text.

Just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI)

An intervention design aiming to provide the right type/amount of support, at the right time, by adapting to an individual’s changing internal and contextual state.

Just-in-time support

Attempts to provide the right type of support, at the right time, while eliminating support provision that is interruptive or otherwise not beneficial.

Individualization

The use of information from the individual to select when and how to intervene.

Adaptation

A dynamic form of individualization, whereby time-varying (dynamic) information from the person is used repeatedly to select intervention options over time.

State of vulnerability

A period of susceptibility to negative health outcomes, such as unhealthy eating or heavy drinking.

State of opportunity

A period of heightened susceptibility to positive health behavior changes, such as healthy eating or physical activity.

Distal outcome

The ultimate goal the intervention is intended to achieve; usually a primary clinical outcome such as time to drug use/relapse or physical activity level.

Proximal outcomes

The short-term goals the intervention is intended to achieve, which can be mediators in a pathway or intermediate measures of the distal outcome.

Decision points

Points in time at which an intervention decision must be made.

Tailoring variables

Information concerning the individual that is used for individualization to decide when and/or how to intervene.

Intervention options

Array of possible treatments/actions that might be employed at any given decision point, including various types of support, delivery modes, or 'provide nothing'.

Decision rules

A way to operationalize adaptation by specifying which intervention option to offer, for whom, and when by linking intervention options and tailoring variables.

Intervention engagement

A state of motivational commitment or investment in the client role over the treatment process.

Intervention fatigue

A state of emotional or cognitive weariness associated with intervention engagement, also referred to as burnout.

Receptivity

The individual’s transient ability and/or willingness to receive, process, and utilize just-in-time support, influenced by internal and contextual factors.

Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs)

Intervention options that can be delivered and employed rapidly as people go about their daily lives.

Active assessments

Self-reported measurements, also known as Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA), that require engagement on the part of the individual.

Passive assessments

Assessments that require minimal or no engagement from the individual, typically utilizing mobile phone sensors or wearable technology.

Waste elimination

An operationalized notion of eliminating any activity/action that absorbs resources like time or effort but adds no value to the desired process.

Supportive accountability

The implicit or explicit expectation that an individual may be called upon to justify his/her actions or inactions, which is enhanced by human presence.

Law of attrition

A phenomenon in mHealth where users engage with resources only a few times before abandoning them.

Micro-randomized trial (MRT)

A sequential factorial design involving random assignment of intervention options at numerous decision points to address causal effects on proximal outcomes.

FOCUS

A smartphone behavioral intervention providing illness management support to individuals with schizophrenia via prompts and self-management strategies.

ACHESS

A JITAI for alcohol use disorder recovery that uses GPS technology to track high-risk locations and provide alerts or supportive services.

SitCoach

A JITAI for office workers that delivers persuasive messages to encourage walking when software detects 30 minutes of uninterrupted computer use.

Timescale

The size of the temporal interval within which a process, pattern, phenomenon, or event occurs, such as a day or a week.