Using N-of-1 designs in Health Behaviour Research Seminar

Health behaviour research has traditionally been dominated by between-subject designs. Quantitative single-case (N-of-1) designs based on repeated observations of a single participant are increasingly recognised as powerful tools to test theory and interventions at the individual level. This makes them a potentially efficient mechanism for making and evaluating individualized evidence-based treatment decisions.

The talk provides a conceptual, methodological and empirical overview of N-of-1 studies applied to behavior change. It highlights recent examples of observational and interventional studies in the areas of physical activity, weight management and research with individuals with very rare genetic conditions. Case examples of using N-of-1 data for mixed method studies and intervention development will be presented.

In an age of ubiquitous ambulant assessment devices, apps and accelerometers, N-of-1 methods have the potential to generate new behavior change approaches in public health and chronic disease management which can be optimized to meet the needs of individuals.