Internet-based randomized controlled trials: a systematic review

Mathieu, Erin; McGeechan, Kevin; Barratt, Alexandra; Herbert, Robert D.

doi:10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001175

Cited by 93 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…High dropout rates are typical for internet-based intervention studies (Mathieu, McGeechan, Barratt, & Herbert, 2013), particularly intervention groups (e.g. Powell et al, 2012).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better Days – A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention

Drozd

Mork

Nielsen

et al. 2014

The Journal of Positive Psychology

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The internet seems promising for delivering interventions to enhance well-being in a normal population. The aim of this study was to test the effects of an internet-based positive psychology intervention targeting gratitude, pleasant activities, strengths, mastery, acts of kindness, optimism, flow, attributions, and mindfulness. One-hundred and twelve participants were randomized to the intervention and 94 to the control group, and data were collected at baseline, one, two, and six months after intervention onset. The balance of positive to negative affect increased over time among participants in the intervention group (unstandardized beta coefficient [B] = 0.07, p < 0.01), as compared to the controls (B = 0.02, p = 010). The intervention worked equally well regardless of participants' gender, age, or education. However, optimism did not mediate the effect of the intervention on affect balance. In conclusion, the intervention had a small, but significant effect on affect balance among healthy adults.

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“…High dropout rates are typical for internet-based intervention studies (Mathieu, McGeechan, Barratt, & Herbert, 2013), particularly intervention groups (e.g. Powell et al, 2012).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better Days – A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention

Drozd

Mork

Nielsen

et al. 2014

The Journal of Positive Psychology

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“…4,54 To advance the science of Internet interventions and leverage their potential for broad reach and population level impact, future research should explicitly address the questions of "how" and "for whom." Intervention approaches that explicitly and intentionally target theory-driven mediators and moderators of treatment effectiveness and that maximize engagement may help realize the potential impact of web-based cessation programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet and Telephone Treatment for Smoking Cessation: Mediators and Moderators of Short-Term Abstinence

Graham

Papandonatos

Cobb

et al. 2014

Nicotine &Amp; Tobacco Research

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Introduction: This study examined mediators and moderators of short-term treatment effectiveness from the iQUITT Study (Quit Using Internet and Telephone Treatment), a 3-arm randomized trial that compared an interactive smoking cessation Web site with an online social network (enhanced Internet) alone and in conjunction with proactive telephone counseling (enhanced Internet plus phone) to a static Internet comparison condition (basic Internet). Methods: The analytic sample was N = 1,236 participants with complete 3-month data on all mediating variables. The primary outcome was 30-day point prevalence abstinence (ppa) at 3 months. Recognizing the importance of temporal precedence in mediation analyses, we also present findings for 6-month outcomes. Purported mediators were treatment utilization and changes in psychosocial constructs. Proposed moderators included baseline demographic, smoking, and psychosocial variables. Mediation analyses examined the extent to which between-arm differences in 30-day ppa could be attributed to differential Web site utilization, telephone counseling, and associated changes in smoking self-efficacy and social support for quitting. Effect modification analyses fitted interactions between treatment and prespecified moderators on abstinence. Results: Significant mediators of 30-day ppa were changes in smoking temptations, quitting confidence, and positive and negative partner support, which were strongly associated with increased Web site utilization. The addition of telephone counseling to an enhanced Web site further improved abstinence rates, partly via an association with increased quitting confidence. Baseline smoking rate was the only significant moderator. Conclusions: Increased treatment utilization and associated changes in several psychosocial measures yielded higher abstinence rates. Findings validate the importance of treatment utilization, smoking self-efficacy, and social support to promote abstinence.

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“…Internet-recruited samples have been shown to be more demographically diverse (35) compared to samples recruited using non-Internet methods. A systematic review of Internet-based randomized controlled trials (36) noted that the Internet greatly increases geographic and demographic reach and that Internet-based trials may actually increase access to populations that are difficult to reach via traditional recruitment methods (e.g., rural adults, individuals not seeking medical attention). It is not yet clear, though, if Internet-based trials can manage to overcome the failure in clinical trials to recruit underrepresented participants.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline Characteristics and Generalizability of Participants in an Internet Smoking Cessation Randomized Trial

et al. 2016

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Background The potential for sampling bias in Internet smoking cessation studies is widely recognized. However, few studies have explicitly addressed the issue of sample representativeness in the context of an Internet smoking cessation treatment trial. Purpose To examine the generalizability of participants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of an Internet smoking cessation intervention using weighted data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Methods A total of 5,290 new users on a smoking cessation website enrolled in the trial between March 2012–January 2015. Descriptive statistics summarized baseline characteristics of screened and enrolled participants and multivariate analysis examined predictors of enrollment. Generalizability analyses compared demographic and smoking characteristics of trial participants to current smokers in the 2012–2014 waves of NHIS (n=19,043), and to an NHIS subgroup based on Internet use and cessation behavior (n=3,664). Effect sizes were obtained to evaluate the magnitude of differences across variables. Results Predictors of study enrollment were age, gender, race, education, and motivation to quit. Compared to NHIS smokers, trial participants were more likely to be female, college educated, daily smokers, and to have made a quit attempt in the past year (all effect sizes 0.25–0.60). In comparisons with the NHIS subgroup, differences in gender and education were attenuated while differences in daily smoking and smoking rate were amplified. Conclusions Few differences emerged between Internet trial participants and nationally representative samples of smokers, and all were in expected directions. This study highlights the importance of assessing generalizability in a focused and specific manner.

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Internet-based randomized controlled trials: a systematic review

Cited by 93 publications

References 62 publications

Better Days – A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention

Better Days – A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based positive psychology intervention

Internet and Telephone Treatment for Smoking Cessation: Mediators and Moderators of Short-Term Abstinence

Baseline Characteristics and Generalizability of Participants in an Internet Smoking Cessation Randomized Trial

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