A qualitative first look at the Arts for Behavior Change Program: Theater for Health

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine adults’ Willingness To Pay (WTP) for CardioVascular Disease (CVD) intervention programs of different intensities.Methods: Three hundred fourteen participants were randomized to two study conditions: (i) CVD risk assessment/communication; (ii) CVD risk assessment/communication + a behavior change program. The behavior change program was aimed at increasing physical activity, reducing saturated fat intake and smoking cessation. It consisted of a tailored Web site and individual coaching with a self-selected dose. At post-assessment, WTP and perceived autonomy support items were included. The intervention dose was registered throughout the trial and post-hoc intervention dose groups were created. Pearson Chi-Square tests, Student's t-tests, one-way analyses of variance were used to examine WTP-differences between the study conditions and intervention dose groups.Results: Twenty-four months after baseline, 61 and 135 participants of the control and intervention condition, respectively, completed the questionnaires. No WTP difference was found between the study conditions. However, participants that selected a higher intervention dose were willing to pay significantly more for their program (p < .05).Conclusions: In general, people want to pay the same amount of money for a CVD prevention program, irrespective of the inclusion of a behavior change program. However, there seems to be an association between the self-selected dose of the latter program and the WTP.

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Effectiveness of a 3-Month Mobile Phone–Based Behavior Change Program on Active Transportation and Physical Activity in Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18531 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Ek ◽

Christina Alexandrou ◽

Emmie Söderström ◽

Patrick Bergman ◽

Christine Delisle Nyström ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Active Transportation ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Behavior Change Program

BACKGROUND Active transportation (AT; ie, walking and cycling as a mode for transportation) has been associated with decreased morbidity and mortality; however, low-cost and scalable intervention programs are lacking. OBJECTIVE The goal of the research was to determine the effectiveness of a 3-month behavior change program delivered via a mobile phone app to promote AT (TravelVu Plus) on time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). METHODS For this 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, we recruited a population-based sample of 254 adults from Stockholm County who were aged 20 to 65 years and had access to a smartphone. On completion of 1-week baseline measures, the 254 participants were randomized to either the control or intervention group (1:1 ratio). Both groups had access to the standard TravelVu app (Trivector AB) for monitoring their AT for 6 months. The intervention group also received a 3-month behavior change program to promote AT (TravelVu Plus app). Assessors of outcomes were blinded to group allocation. Outcomes were objectively measured MVPA at 3 (primary) and 6 months. Secondary outcomes were AT, attitudes toward AT, and health-related quality of life at 3 and 6 months. RESULTS No effect on MVPA was observed after 3 months (P=.29); however, at 6 months the intervention group had a greater improvement in MVPA than the controls (6.05 minutes per day [95% CI 0.36 to 11.74; P=.04]). A Bayesian analyses showed that there was a 98% probability that the intervention had any effect at 6 months, and a 63% probability that this effect was >5 minute MVPA per day. CONCLUSIONS No effect on MVPA immediately after the intervention period (at 3 months) was observed; however, there was a delayed effect on MVPA (6 minutes per day) at 6 months, which corresponds to approximately 30% of the weekly MVPA recommendation. Our findings suggest that a behavior change program promoting AT delivered via an app may have a relevant effect on PA. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03086837; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03086837 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1186/s12889-018-5658-4

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Personalized Web-Based Weight Loss Behavior Change Program With and Without Dietitian Online Coaching for Adults With Overweight and Obesity: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17494 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Alline Beleigoli ◽

Andre Q Andrade ◽

Maria De Fatima Diniz ◽

Antonio Luiz Ribeiro

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Waiting List ◽

Personalized Feedback ◽

Small Magnitude ◽

Web Based ◽

Behavior Change Program

BACKGROUND The effect of computer- or human-delivered personalized feedback on the effectivess of web-based behavior change platforms for weight loss is unclear. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the effectiveness of a web-based behavior change intervention personalized through either computerized or human-delivered feedback with a nonpersonalized intervention in promoting weight loss in community-based adults with overweight or obesity. METHODS This pragmatic, 3-group, parallel-arm, randomized trial recruited students and staff in a Brazilian public university who were aged 18 to 60 years, had a BMI of ≥25 kg/m2, and were not pregnant. Participants were allocated to one of 3 groups: platform only (24-week behavior change program delivered using a web platform with personalized computer-delivered feedback), platform plus coaching (same 24-week web-based behavior change program plus 12 weeks of personalized feedback delivered online by a dietitian), or waiting list (nonpersonalized dietary and physical activity recommendations delivered through an e-booklet and videos). Self-reported weight at 24 weeks was the primary outcome. Changes in dietary and physical activity habits within 24 weeks were secondary outcomes. RESULTS Among the 1298 participants, 375 (28.89%) were lost to follow-up. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the platform-only and platform plus coaching groups had greater mean weight loss than the waiting-list group at 24 weeks (–1.08 kg, 95% CI –1.41 to –0.75 vs –1.57 kg, 95% CI –1.92 to –1.22 vs –0.66 kg, 95% CI –0.98 to –0.34, respectively). The platform-only and platform plus coaching groups, compared with the waiting list group, had a greater increase in the consumption of vegetables (3%, 95% CI 1% to 6% vs 5%, 95% CI 2% to 8% vs –3%, 95% CI –5% to 0%) and fruits (9%, 95% CI 6% to 12% vs 6%, 95% CI 2% to 9% vs 2%, 95% CI 0% to 6%) and a larger reduction in ultraprocessed food intake (–18%, 95% CI –23% to –13% vs –25%, 95% CI –30% to –20% vs –12%, 95% CI –16% to –8%). Changes in physical activity did not differ across the groups. Engagement was higher in the platform plus coaching group than in the platform-only group (7.6 vs 5.2 completed sessions; P=.007). Longer usage of the platform was associated with clinically meaningful (≥5%) weight loss (odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04). CONCLUSIONS The web-based behavior change programs with computer- and human-delivered personalized feedback led to greater, albeit small-magnitude, weight loss within 24 weeks. Improvement in multiple dietary habits, but not physical activity, were also greater in the personalized programs compared with the nonpersonalized one. The human-delivered personalized feedback by the online dietitian coach increased user engagement with the program and was associated with a significantly higher chance of clinically meaningful weight loss. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03435445; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03435445 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/10.1186/s12889-018-5882-y

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Impact of a Mobile App–Based Health Coaching and Behavior Change Program on Participant Engagement and Weight Status of Overweight and Obese Children: Retrospective Cohort Study

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/14458 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. e14458 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Victor Cueto ◽

C Jason Wang ◽

Lee Michael Sanders

Keyword(s):

Behavior Change ◽

Weight Status ◽

Health Coaching ◽

Mobile App ◽

Age Group ◽

Obese Children ◽

Participant Engagement ◽

Commitment Period ◽

And Behavior ◽

Behavior Change Program

Background Effective treatment of obesity in children and adolescents traditionally requires frequent in-person contact, and it is often limited by low participant engagement. Mobile health tools may offer alternative models that enhance participant engagement. Objective The aim of this study was to assess child engagement over time, with a mobile app–based health coaching and behavior change program for weight management, and to examine the association between engagement and change in weight status. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of user data from Kurbo, a commercial program that provides weekly individual coaching via video chat and supports self-monitoring of health behaviors through a mobile app. Study participants included users of Kurbo between March 2015 and March 2017, who were 5 to 18 years old and who were overweight or obese (body mass index; BMI ≥ 85th percentile or ≥ 95th percentile) at baseline. The primary outcome, engagement, was defined as the total number of health coaching sessions received. The secondary outcome was change in weight status, defined as the change in BMI as a percentage of the 95th percentile (%BMIp95). Analyses of outcome measures were compared across three initial commitment period groups: 4 weeks, 12 to 16 weeks, or 24 weeks. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to adjust outcomes for the independent variables of sex, age group (5-11 years, 12-14 years, and 15-18 years), and commitment period. A sensitivity analysis was conducted, excluding a subset of participants involuntarily assigned to the 12- to 16-week commitment period by an employer or health plan. Results A total of 1120 participants were included in analyses. At baseline, participants had a mean age of 12 years (SD 2.5), mean BMI percentile of 96.6 (SD 3.1), mean %BMIp95 of 114.5 (SD 16.5), and they were predominantly female 68.04% (762/1120). Participant distribution across commitment periods was 26.07% (292/1120) for 4 weeks, 61.61% (690/1120) for 12-16 weeks, and 12.32% (138/1120) for 24 weeks. The median coaching sessions (interquartile range) received were 8 (3-16) for the 4-week group, 9 (5-12) for the 12- to 16-week group, and 19 (11-25) for the 24-week group (P<.001). Adjusted for sex and age group, participants in the 4- and 12-week groups participated in –8.03 (95% CI –10.19 to –5.87) and –9.34 (95% CI –11.31 to –7.39) fewer coaching sessions, compared with those in the 24-week group (P<.001). Adjusted for commitment period, sex, and age group, the overall mean change in %BMIp95 was –0.21 (95% CI –0.25 to –0.17) per additional coaching session (P<.001). Conclusions Among overweight and obese children using a mobile app–based health coaching and behavior change program, increased engagement was associated with longer voluntary commitment periods, and increased number of coaching sessions was associated with decreased weight status.

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