Visiting Researcher
M.Soc.Sc., B.Soc.Sc.
Email: sjn61@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Background
Johanna joined the Behavioural Science Group at the Primary Care Unit in 2017. Johanna is completing her PhD in Social psychology at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences.
Johanna became intrigued by the opportunities that digital technologies offer for behavioural sciences while developing online courses within the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (WHO collaborating centre). At the University of Helsinki, she worked for an intervention programme for adolescents’ physical activity and a three-year doctoral project designing, developing and testing a digital health platform as part of a multidisciplinary, EU funded consortium (thepreciousproject.eu).
Johanna is currently analysing n-of-1 intervention data of smartphone interventions with longitudinal multilevel models and qualitative evaluations. She has conducted research using systematic review and meta-analysis, psychophysiological measures, surveys, interviews, and usability studies with think-aloud methods.
Research Interests
Johanna is interested in factors that support well-being and behaviour change, including environmental, motivational and self-regulatory elements related to self-determination theory and motivational interviewing. She enjoys developing gamified solutions to support engagement in health behaviours through challenges and fun.
Additional Information
Johanna is a member of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) and served as a grant master and liaison officer for the EHPS early career researcher network 2016-2019. She wishes to support the engagement of early career researchers in the society through the CREATE network (http://www.ehps.net/create).
Johanna’s work is supported by the University of Helsinki, Doctoral Programme of Social Sciences; Yrjö Jahnsson foundation, and KAUTE foundation “Tutkijat maailmalle” research grant to support ambitious research work in a high-quality foreign university or research institution. The research within PRECIOUS project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 611366.
Selected Publications
Nurmi, J., Knittle, K., Ginchev, T., Khattak, F., Helf, C., Zwickl, P., Castellano-Tejedor, C., Lusilla-Palacios, P., Costa-Requena, J., Ravaja, N., & Haukkala, A. (2020). Engaging Users in the Behavior Change Process With Digitalized Motivational Interviewing and Gamification: Development and Feasibility Testing of the Precious App. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 8(1), e12884. https://doi.org/10.2196/12884
Castellano-Tejedor, C., Moreno, J., Knittle, K., Nurmi, J., Ginchev, T., Parramón, G., Ciudin, A., Ramos-Quiroga, J. A., & Lusilla-Palacios, P. (2020). Assessing the user experience and usability of the PRECIOUS system: A randomized controlled trial in obese patients. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538157.2020.1776292
Kwasnicka, D., Inauen, J., Nieuwenboom, W., Nurmi, J., Schneider, A., Short, C. E., … & Naughton, F. (2019). Challenges and solutions for N-of-1 design studies in health psychology. Health psychology review, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2018.1564627
Knittle, K., Nurmi, J., Crutzen, R., Hankonen, N., Beattie, M. & Dombrowski, S. (2018): How can interventions increase motivation forphysical activity? A systematic review and meta-analysis, Health Psychology Review, doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2018.1435299
Nurmi, J., Hagger, M. S., Haukkala, A., Araújo-Soares, V., & Hankonen, N. (2016). Relations between autonomous motivation and leisure-time physical activity participation: The mediating role of self-regulation techniques. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. http://selfdeterminationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2016_Nurmi_etal_J_of-Sport_Exercise_Psych.pdf