BackgroundBoth men and women are vulnerable to weight gain during the college years, and this phenomenon is linked to an increased risk of several chronic diseases and mortality. Technology represents an attractive medium for the delivery of weight control interventions focused on college students, given its reach and appeal among this population. However, few technology-mediated weight gain prevention interventions have been evaluated for college students.ObjectiveThis study examined a new technology-based, social media-facilitated weight gain prevention intervention for college students.MethodsUndergraduates (n =58) in two sections of a public university course were allocated to either a behavioral weight gain prevention intervention (Healthy Weight, HW; N=29) or a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination awareness intervention (control; N=29). All students were enrolled, regardless of initial body weight or expressed interest in weight management. The interventions delivered 8 lessons via electronic newsletters and Facebook postings over 9 weeks, which were designed to foster social support and introduce relevant educational content. The HW intervention targeted behavioral strategies to prevent weight gain and provided participants with a Wi-Fi-enabled scale and an electronic physical activity tracker to facilitate weight regulation. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine within- and between-group differences in measures of self-reported weight control practices and objectively measured weight. Use of each intervention medium and device was objectively tracked, and intervention satisfaction measures were obtained.ResultsStudents remained weight stable (HW: −0.48+1.9 kg; control: −0.45+1.4 kg), with no significant difference between groups over 9 weeks (P =.94). However, HW students reported a significantly greater increase in the number of appropriate weight control strategies than did controls (2.1+4.5 vs −1.1+3.4, respectively; P =.003) and there was no increase in inappropriate weight control behaviors (P =.11). More than 90% of students in the HW arm opened the electronic newsletters each week, and the average number of Facebook interactions (comments and likes) per student each week was 3.3+1.4. Each self-monitoring device was initialized by 90% of HW students. On average, they used their physical activity tracker for 23.7+15.2 days and their Wi-Fi scale for 14.1+13.1 days over the 9 weeks. HW students rated the intervention favorably.ConclusionsThe short-term effect of this technology-based weight gain prevention intervention for college students is promising and merits evaluation over a longer duration to determine whether engagement and behavioral improvements positively affect weight outcomes and can be maintained.
College-aged women and men are an important catch-up population for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination interventions. Limited research has explored technology-mediated HPV vaccination awareness interventions aimed at college students. The purpose was to evaluate a novel, technology-mediated, social media-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination among college students. A controlled, quasi-experimental, mixed methods study examined the feasibility of a technology-based intervention among two undergraduate classes (n = 58) at a public university in the southeastern United States of America. Classes were randomized to receive one of two cancer prevention programs (i.e., HPV vaccination (intervention) or healthy weight (control)). Both programs contained eight technology-mediated sessions, including weekly emails and private Facebook group posts. Participants completed pre-/post-test surveys and submitted weekly qualitative reflections. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic review for qualitative data. Knowledge improved among participants in the HPV vaccination intervention relative to those in the control condition. Participants (97%) interacted on Facebook by “liking” a post or comment or posting a comment. Participants demonstrated robust engagement and high treatment satisfaction. Results suggests that social media is an effective platform to reach college students with health promotion interventions and increase HPV vaccination awareness in this important catch-up population.
The results demonstrate that an ActiGraph GT3X+ lux threshold of 240 can accurately assess indoor and outdoor conditions of preschool children in a free-living environment.
Summary Objective Harnessing social support from existing social ties represents a key weight control practice. This trial evaluated an intervention that provided health‐promoting technologies for leveraging the influence of existing social ties. Methods Volunteers ( N = 36) with a body mass index between 25 and 55 kg m −2 were randomized to a 16‐week, in‐person, technology‐supported behavioural weight‐loss treatment (standard behavioural treatment) or the same programme supplemented by providing self‐selected members of participants' social networks with a digital body‐weight scale and Fitbit Zip physical activity tracker (ENHANCED). Results Average weight losses from baseline to 16 weeks did not significantly differ between groups (standard behavioural treatment, 5.30%, SD =3.93%; ENHANCED, 5.96%, SD = 5.19%, p = 0.63). By the 1‐year follow‐up, standard behavioural treatment had lost 5.63%, SD = 8.14% of baseline weight versus 4.73%, SD = 9.43% for ENHANCED ( p = 0.82). ENHANCED reported self‐weighing on more days than did standard behavioural treatment ( p = 0.03). Most participants reported high programme satisfaction. Similar improvements were observed in perceived social support for diet and exercise from baseline to 16 weeks in both groups ( p s < 0.05) but regressed by 1 year ( p s < 0.01). Conclusion Although feasible to implement, this technology‐based, social support approach failed to enhance outcomes of a face‐to‐face, group‐based behavioural weight‐loss treatment.
Background College-aged women and men are at increased risk of acquiring human papillomavirus (HPV) and are considered an important catch-up population for HPV vaccination. Technology provides an attractive platform for HPV vaccination interventions. Limited research has explored technology-mediated HPV vaccination awareness interventions aimed at college students. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a novel, technology-mediated, social media-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination among college students.Methods A controlled, quasi-experimental, mixed methods study examined the feasibility of a technology-based intervention among two undergraduate classes (n = 58) at a public university in the southeastern United States of America. Classes were randomized by coin flip to receive one of two cancer prevention programs (i.e., HPV vaccination [intervention] or healthy weight [control]). Both programs contained eight technology-mediated health promotion sessions, including weekly emails and private Facebook group posts. Participants completed a pre- and post-test web-based survey and submitted weekly qualitative reflections. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic review for qualitative data.Results Knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination improved among participants in the HPV vaccination intervention relative to those in the control condition. Participants (97%) interacted on Facebook by “liking” a post or comment or posting a comment. Participants reported that Facebook was easy to use and encouraged interaction, which contributed to the success of the intervention.Conclusion Participants demonstrated robust engagement and high treatment satisfaction. Objective measures and qualitative open-ended assessment of the intervention showed high levels of engagement with the electronic newsletters and Facebook group. This pilot study suggests that social media is an effective platform to reach college students with health promotion interventions and increase HPV vaccination awareness in this important catch-up population.
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