Public Q&A: Mobile peer support for behavior change

In the spirit of public Q&A, I’m posting my answers to a good question: Do you know of a research team currently studying mobile peer support in the context of behavior change?

My reply:

First, it’s always smart to have the latest numbers at your fingertips. The Pew Research Center keeps this page updated with our latest data on mobile adoption and use in the U.S.

Second, you may want to look at the comments on this post: Is there hope for SMS health alerts? There is a lot of interest among clinicians & entrepreneurs who hope that text messaging is a way to motivate support behavior change.*

Third, look at who is speaking at related conferences and events, both big and small. For example, Johns Hopkins is hosting a very intriguing wireless health symposium this week and I attended an excellent mhealth symposium last week at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, including some presentations about behavior change.

Finally, my favorite source for all things mobile health related is MobiHealthNews. Who is quoted in articles about the topic you are working on? They might be a good source for new contacts, even if they themselves don’t have time to take on a new project.

Any other tips? Please post in the comments.

* word change after I read it through the eyes of Steph Habif who I imagined saying to me, gently, “You can’t motivate anyone to change. You can support them, though.”