We cite examples from our own research indicating that those populations requiring decisional support to change specific aspects of their behavior may actually be the least able to benefit from that decisional support. Implications for designers are discussed.

Background The ‘cohort multiple randomised controlled trial ’ (cmRCT) is an innovative approach to the design and conduct of RCTs which compare the effectiveness of interventions to usual care (Relton et al, 2010). The design utilises a large long term observational cohort of people with the condition of interest, regularly measuring the outcomes of the whole cohort. The cohort in the cmRCT des...

The slum question is not marginal to urban planning and social development – it is at its very heart. All the more so now that urban growth takes place primarily in developing countries in which populations move from rural to urban regions at a very fast pace. And around one billion of people (with a perspective of 2 billion in 2030), the third of the world’s total urban population, live in suc...