Use of a Website to Accomplish Health Behavior Change: If You Build It, Will They Come? And Will It Work If They Do?

Abstract

Purpose: This article describes the development, implementation, and effectiveness of 2 interactive websites designed to support health behavior change around healthy eating, physical activity, smoking, and use of alcohol for primary care patients.Methods: Patients from 6 primary care practices were recruited and randomized to a basic website (including a health assessment with feedback of the results and educational materials about health behavior change) or an enhanced website that included the features of the basic site plus an action planning component. Patients were prompted to return for follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months after enrollment.Results: Of 7706 participants, 169 (2.2%) targeted for recruitment actually used the website. Both web-based interventions seemed to assist patients with making positive changes in their behavior, especially activity level and healthful diet. There were no significant differences in the effectiveness of the basic and enhanced websites.

Lead users’ ideas on core features to support physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis: a first step in the development of an internet service using participatory design

“…The need for a personal web profile for log on was discussed by our participants. However, too extensive procedures before getting access to the internet service can cause problem with low attendance, which has been reported elsewhere [20,42]. An open service has been suggested to enhance use [20,42].…”

“…Current evidence suggests that theoretically informed PA interventions delivered over the internet are effective in adult populations [16-20], in patients with chronic diseases and disabilities [21,22] and in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis [23]. To our knowledge, there is only one previous study on internet-supported PA for people with RA, which also included face-to-face meetings and did not explicitly incorporate health behavior change strategies to guide the adoption and maintenance of PA [24].…”

How patients want to engage with their personal health record: a qualitative study

“…The addition of certain PHR features that seem popular with patients, such as displaying test results or supporting asynchronous communication via secure messaging, has generated only modest increases in actual PHR utilisation 17 21. One explanation is that patients who are accustomed to more powerful information tools in other aspects of life may expect greater functionality than merely seeing their information 49 50.…”

“…One possible reason for poor PHR uptake is that many systems lack integration into the care delivery system, including clinicians’ EMRs 13 17 21. Tang and Lee suggest that integrated PHRs could provide patients better access to laboratory and other data, as well as communication with their clinician i .…”

A randomized comparative effectiveness study of Healthy Directions 2—A multiple risk behavior intervention for primary care

“…However, it is higher than in many similar trials conducted within health care settings (e.g. 2% for a web-based multiple risk behavior intervention in primary care (Dickinson et al 2013); 28% for a primary care intervention focused on weight loss and physical activity (Hardcastle et al 2013)). In the context of a real world comparative effectiveness study, this gives similar health care systems a realistic view of the likely intervention impact.…”