BehavioR: a digital platform for prevention and management of behavioural addictions

ABSTRACT

Behavioural addictions have been identified as an emerging public health problem. The unprecedentedpace of the digital revolution, resulting in an ever-increasing use of internet-based technologies,provides the opportunity to create a unique resource to assist in offering public health interventions inthe World Health Organization South-East Asia Region. The ability to deliver evidence-based treatmentand preventive programmes that can be accessed by mobile phones, for example, increases access toa wide range of populations, including hidden or hard-to-reach populations. BehavioR (the Behavioraladdictions Resource hub) has been established with the aim of offering a one-stop resource centre forbehavioural addictions. The expected end-users of this digital platform include patients, caregivers, thegeneral public, health-care providers, academics, researchers and policy-makers. The platform can beused to offer digital health interventions to patients; strengthen the capacity of health-care providers forearly detection of, screening for, intervention in and management of behavioural addictions; and serveas an online repository for reliable information on behavioural addictions for the general public.