Developing a mobile phone application to encourage walking: What works and for whom?

This study explores the effectiveness of mobile application interventions in promoting walking among diverse demographic groups using Difference-in-Differences (DiD) analysis. It examines how strategies like monetary incentives, health data, and visual feedback influence behaviours across demographic factors like age, gender, and income, revealing the most effective for specific groups. Young participants who received all types of interventions demonstrated a significant increase in step counts, with an estimated increase of 182 %, reflecting their receptiveness to personalised engagement and reward-based strategies. In contrast, low-income participants experienced a significant decrease in step counts, with a reduction of 54 %, highlighting the socio-economic barriers hindering intervention effectiveness. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring intervention designs to meet different demographic groups’ specific need and ensure equitable outcomes. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers, public health officials, and practitioners aiming to design more effective and inclusive strategies to promote physical activity and improve urban sustainability.