Call Me, Maybe: Examining the Compliance Rates and Cost-effectiveness of a Participant-initiated Automated Telephone System with Children

Abstract

Telephone-delivered physical activity interventions have proven to be effective with adults, yet there is no research using this strategy with children. The purpose of the current study was to examine the feasibility of implementing a participant-initiated automated telephone imagery intervention with children. The outcomes of interest were compliance rates to and cost-analysis of the telephone system. Fifty-nine Grade 5 and 6 students (M age = 10.24, SD = 0.80; 36 females) from two schools were randomized into either an imagery group or a short story group, and some individuals in both of these groups received an individual incentive and some received a class incentive. All participants were asked to call the automated system from home 3x/week for the duration of the study. The high compliance rate, the minimal cost of implementing such a system, and the ability to reach more children than a face-to-face intervention makes the telephone an attractive modality for behavior change researchers.