scholarly journals A Digital Intervention for Australian Adolescents Above a Healthy Weight (Health Online for Teens): Protocol for an Implementation and User Experience Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly Jane Moores ◽  
Anthony Maeder ◽  
Jacqueline Miller ◽  
Ivanka Prichard ◽  
Lucy Kate Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior

BACKGROUND More than one-fourth of Australian adolescents are overweight or obese, with obesity in adolescents strongly persisting into adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that the mid-teen years present a final window of opportunity to prevent irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system. As lifestyle behaviors may change with increased autonomy during adolescence, this life stage is an ideal time to intervene and promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors, well-being, and self-esteem. As teenagers are prolific users and innate adopters of new technologies, app-based programs may be suitable for the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors and goal setting training. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the reach, engagement, user experience, and satisfaction of the new app-based and Web-based Health Online for Teens (HOT) program in a sample of Australian adolescents above a healthy weight (ie, overweight or obese) and their parents. METHODS HOT is a 14-week program for adolescents and their parents. The program is delivered online through the Moodle app–based and website-based learning environment and aims to promote adolescents’ lifestyle behavior change in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Young People (aged 13-17 years). HOT aims to build parental and peer support during the program to support adolescents with healthy lifestyle behavior change. RESULTS Data collection for this study is ongoing. To date, 35 adolescents and their parents have participated in one of 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS HOT is a new online-only program for Australian adolescents and their parents that aims to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. This protocol paper describes the HOT program in detail, along with the methods to measure reach, outcomes, engagement, user experiences, and program satisfaction. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618000465257; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374771 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/13340

scholarly journals A Digital Intervention for Australian Adolescents Above a Healthy Weight (Health Online for Teens): Protocol for an Implementation and User Experience Study

10.2196/13340 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e13340
Author(s):  
Carly Jane Moores ◽  
Anthony Maeder ◽  
Jacqueline Miller ◽  
Ivanka Prichard ◽  
Lucy Kate Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior

Background More than one-fourth of Australian adolescents are overweight or obese, with obesity in adolescents strongly persisting into adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that the mid-teen years present a final window of opportunity to prevent irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system. As lifestyle behaviors may change with increased autonomy during adolescence, this life stage is an ideal time to intervene and promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors, well-being, and self-esteem. As teenagers are prolific users and innate adopters of new technologies, app-based programs may be suitable for the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors and goal setting training. Objective This study aims to explore the reach, engagement, user experience, and satisfaction of the new app-based and Web-based Health Online for Teens (HOT) program in a sample of Australian adolescents above a healthy weight (ie, overweight or obese) and their parents. Methods HOT is a 14-week program for adolescents and their parents. The program is delivered online through the Moodle app–based and website-based learning environment and aims to promote adolescents’ lifestyle behavior change in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Young People (aged 13-17 years). HOT aims to build parental and peer support during the program to support adolescents with healthy lifestyle behavior change. Results Data collection for this study is ongoing. To date, 35 adolescents and their parents have participated in one of 3 groups. Conclusions HOT is a new online-only program for Australian adolescents and their parents that aims to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. This protocol paper describes the HOT program in detail, along with the methods to measure reach, outcomes, engagement, user experiences, and program satisfaction. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618000465257; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374771 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/13340

scholarly journals Engaging Fathers in the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine R. Arlinghaus ◽  
Craig A. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Parental Engagement ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Behavior Change Interventions

Parental engagement is an important component in lifestyle behavior change interventions for children as parents are uniquely positioned to establish a healthy environment and model healthy eating and physical activity habits for their children. Despite both mothers and fathers being important agents of behavioral change for their children, fathers are typically underrepresented in programming interventions. Physical activity may be an important strategy for fathers to become involved in lifestyle change with their children as, compared to mothers, fathers traditionally tend to be comfortable engaging in physical activity with their children.

Adherence to Weight Loss and Physical Activity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Amy Janke ◽  
David E. Goodrich
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Barriers To Exercise ◽  
Physical Limitations ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Social Environmental Factors

Maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in regular physical activity are two health behaviors that can provide significant benefit to individuals with chronic pain. However, adhering to lifestyle programs that promote weight loss and/or physical activity can be challenging. A socioecological model of adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors in individuals with pain can assist providers in understanding the physiological, intrapersonal/behavioral, and social/environmental factors that influence adherence. Providers can optimize adherence to weight loss by facilitating an effective patient–provider relationship, tailoring intervention approaches to meet a patient’s specific needs, and applying the Five A’s model of behavior change. Providers can support long-term engagement in physical activity by developing patient-centered exercise prescriptions based on an assessment of physical limitations, comorbidities, and age and to engage in shared decision-making to best account for patient preferences and barriers to exercise.

scholarly journals Lifestyle Challenges Among Older Female Cancer Survivors

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 479-479
Author(s):  
Jessica Krok-Schoen ◽  
Janell Pisegna ◽  
Elizabeth Arthur ◽  
Emily Ridgway ◽  
Ashley Rosko
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Sample Mean ◽  
Female Cancer Survivors

Abstract The American Cancer Society recommends that survivors maintain a healthy lifestyle including a normal weight, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy diet to improve prognosis and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Unfortunately, the majority of cancer survivors do not engage in a healthy lifestyle. The largest proportion of cancer survivors are older adults (≥65 years), yet they are often understudied, particularly regarding healthy lifestyles. This study sought to examine the lifestyle behaviors (maintaining healthy weight, dietary intake, physical activity) of older female cancer survivors and to identify associations with HRQoL. Older female cancer survivors (n=170) completed surveys to assess HRQoL (RAND-36), diet quality (HEI-2015), physical activity, malnutrition, and BMI. Descriptive analyses, correlations, and stepwise linear regressions were utilized. The majority of the sample (mean age=74.67±8.43 years) were white (90%), married (54.4%), college-educated (63.9%), and breast cancer survivors (67.4%). Self-reported health was very good (42.6%) and good (39.6%) and general HRQoL was 59.48±15.34 out of 100. Self-reported physical activity was low; 75.3%, 54.2%, and 68.1% reported no strenuous, moderate, and mild physical activity, respectively. Mean BMI was 27.71±6.24 with 64% of the participants being overweight or obese. Mean HEI-2015 scores were 66.39±10.00, below the “good” diet quality score of 80. Risk of malnutrition was present in 27.4% of participants. Regressions found that being White (β=-0.528, p=0.001) and lower BMI (β =-0.405, p=0.024) were significant predictors of HRQoL. Results indicate the need for tailored health coaching for older cancer survivors regarding their lifestyle behaviors to improve prognosis and HRQoL.

scholarly journals Potential and effects of personalizing gameful fitness applications using behavior change intentions and Hexad user types

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Altmeyer ◽  
Pascal Lessel ◽  
Subhashini Jantwal ◽  
Linda Muller ◽  
Florian Daiber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Affective Experiences ◽  
Relevant Domain

AbstractPersonalizing gameful applications is essential to account for interpersonal differences in the perception of gameful design elements. Considering that an increasing number of people lead sedentary lifestyles, using personalized gameful applications to encourage physical activity is a particularly relevant domain. In this article, we investigate behavior change intentions and Hexad user types as factors to personalize gameful fitness applications. We first explored the potential of these two factors by analyzing differences in the perceived persuasiveness of gameful design elements using a storyboards-based online study ($$N=178$$ N = 178 ). Our results show several significant effects regarding both factors and thus support the usefulness of them in explaining perceptual differences. Based on these findings, we implemented “Endless Universe,” a personalized gameful application encouraging physical activity on a treadmill. We used the system in a laboratory study ($$N=20$$ N = 20 ) to study actual effects of personalization on the users’ performance, enjoyment and affective experiences. While we did not find effects on the immediate performance of users, positive effects on user experience-related measures were found. The results of this study support the relevance of behavior change intentions and Hexad user types for personalizing gameful fitness systems further.

scholarly journals Individual-Level Determinants of Lifestyle Behavioral Changes during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United States: Results of an Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4364
Author(s):  
Xiaotao Zhang ◽  
Abiodun Oluyomi ◽  
LeChauncy Woodard ◽  
Syed Ahsan Raza ◽  
Maral Adel Fahmideh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Diet And Physical Activity ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors

This study examined individual-level determinants of self-reported changes in healthy (diet and physical activity) and addictive (alcohol use, smoking, and vaping) lifestyle behaviors during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in the USA. A national online survey was administered between May and June 2020 that targeted a representative U.S. sample and yielded data from 1276 respondents, including 58% male and 50% racial/ethnic minorities. We used univariate and multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations of sociodemographic, mental health, and behavioral determinants with self-reported changes in lifestyle behaviors. Some study participants reported increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors since the pandemic (i.e., 36% increased healthy eating behaviors, and 33% increased physical activity). However, they also reported increases in addictive lifestyle behaviors including alcohol use (40%), tobacco use (41%), and vaping (46%). With regard to individual-level determinants, individuals who reported adhering to social distancing guidelines were also more likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.21). Conversely, women (β = −0.37, 95% CI −0.62 to −0.12), and unemployed individuals (β = −0.33, 95% CI −0.64 to −0.02) were less likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors. In addition, individuals reporting anxiety were more likely to report increases in addictive behaviors (β = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.43). Taken together, these findings suggest that women and unemployed individuals may benefit from interventions targeting diet and physical activity, and that individuals reporting anxiety may benefit from interventions targeting smoking and alcohol cessation to address lifestyle changes during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyles of Health Sciences University Students in Spain: A Longitudinal Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1958
Author(s):  
Idoia Imaz-Aramburu ◽  
Ana-Belén Fraile-Bermúdez ◽  
Batirtze San Martín-Gamboa ◽  
Silvia Cepeda-Miguel ◽  
Borja Doncel-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Long Time

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted daily activities worldwide. University students may have experienced substantial changes in daily living as a result of restrictions on university attendance. The return to normalcy may take a long time, and understanding the influence that shifts in daily routines have had on the lifestyles of university students may inform approaches to support overall well-being. We analyzed changes in the lifestyles of students enrolled at a health sciences university during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study took place at the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing in the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and the final sample consisted of 113 nursing students, 109 medical students, and 45 physiotherapy students. Our results demonstrate changes in lifestyles of university students during the pandemic. MedDiet adherence scores and the percentage of students with high adherence increased during the pandemic. This increase was due to the increased consumption of vegetables and nuts. In terms of physical activity, the practice of moderate and intense physical activity was maintained. These results provide important information for both public health authorities and educational institutions to guide strategies to maintain the well-being of students and enhance opportunities for young adults to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Tweeting to Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene E. Chung ◽  
Asheley C. Skinner ◽  
Stephanie E. Hasty ◽  
Eliana M. Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Physical Activity Intensity ◽  
Sugar Sweetened Beverage ◽  
Mhealth Intervention ◽  
Activity Intensity

We developed and pilot tested a mHealth intervention, “Tweeting to Health,” which used Fitbits, Twitter, and gamification to facilitate support for healthy lifestyle changes in overweight/obese (OW) and healthy weight (HW) young adults. Participants tracked activity and diet using Fitbits and used Twitter for messaging for 2 months. Physical activity, dietary intake, and Tweets were tracked and participants completed surveys at enrollment, 1 month, and 2 months. Descriptive statistics were used to examine steps/day, physical activity intensity, lifestyle changes, and total Tweets. Participants were on average 19 to 20 years old and had familiarity with Twitter. OW participants had on average 11 222 daily steps versus 11 686 (HW). One-day challenges were successful in increasing steps. Participants increased fruit/vegetable intake (92%) and decreased their sugar-sweetened beverage intake (67%). Compliance with daily Fitbit wear (99% of all days OW vs 73% HW) and daily dietary logging (82% OW vs 73% HW) and satisfaction was high.

scholarly journals A Web-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention With Email Reminders to Enhance Subjective Well-Being and Encourage Engagement With Lifestyle Behavior Change in Health Care Staff: Randomized Cluster Feasibility Stud

10.2196/18586 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. e18586
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Phillip James ◽  
Darren Scott ◽  
Owen Bodger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Lifestyle Behavior ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

Background Poor mental health and emotional well-being can negatively impact ability to engage in healthy lifestyle behavior change. Health care staff have higher rates of sickness and absence than other public sector staff, which has implications at both individual and societal levels. Individual efforts to self-manage health and well-being which add to the UK mental health prevention agenda need to be supported. Objective The objective of this study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the inclusion of a self-guided, automated, web-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention in an existing health promotion program, to improve subjective well-being and encourage engagement with lifestyle behavior change. Methods For this 12-week, 4-armed, randomized controlled cluster feasibility study, we recruited participants offline and randomly allocated them to 1 of 3 intervention arms or control (no well-being intervention) using an automated web-based allocation procedure. Eligibility criteria were current health care staff in 1 Welsh health board, age≥18 years, ability to read English, and ability to provide consent. The primary researcher was blinded to cluster allocation. Feasibility outcomes were randomization procedure, acceptance of intervention, and adherence to and engagement with the wider program. We evaluated health and well-being data via self-assessment at 2 time points, registration and postintervention, using the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 7-item Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised. Results Of 124 participants who provided consent and were randomly allocated, 103 completed full registration and engaged with the program. Most participants (76/103) enrolled in at least one health behavior change module, and 43% (41/96) of those randomly allocated to an intervention arm enrolled in the well-being module. Adherence and engagement was low (7/103, 6.8%), but qualitative feedback was positive. Conclusions The procedure and randomization process proved feasible, and the addition of the well-being module proved acceptable to health care staff. However, participant engagement was limited, and no one completed the full 12-week program. User feedback should be used to develop the intervention to address poor engagement. Effectiveness should then be evaluated in a full-scale randomized controlled trial, which would be feasible with additional recruitment. Trial Registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 50074817; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN50074817

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