Effectiveness of a web-based intervention aimed at healthy dietary and physical activity behavior: a randomized controlled trial about users and usage

Background:\ud Recent studies have shown the potential of Web-based interventions for changing dietary and physical activity (PA) behavior. However, the pathways of these changes are not clear. In addition, nonusage poses a threat to these interventions. Little is known of characteristics of participants that predict usage.\ud \ud Objective:\ud In this study we investigated the users and effect of the Healthy Weight Assistant (HWA), a Web-based intervention aimed at healthy dietary and PA behavior. We investigated the value of a proposed framework (including social and economic factors, condition-related factors, patient-related factors, reasons for use, and satisfaction) to predict which participants are users and which participants are nonusers. Additionally, we investigated the effectiveness of the HWA on the primary outcomes, self-reported dietary and physical activity behavior.\ud \ud Methods:\ud Our design was a two-armed randomized controlled trial that compared the HWA with a waiting list control condition. A total of 150 participants were allocated to the waiting list group, and 147 participants were allocated to the intervention group. Online questionnaires were filled out before the intervention period started and after the intervention period of 12 weeks. After the intervention period, respondents in the waiting list group could use the intervention. Objective usage data was obtained from the application itself.\ud \ud Results:\ud In the intervention group, 64% (81/147) of respondents used the HWA at least once and were categorized as “users.” Of these, 49% (40/81) used the application only once. Increased age and not having a chronic condition increased the odds of having used the HWA (age: beta = 0.04, P = .02; chronic condition: beta = 2.24, P = .003). Within the intervention group, users scored better on dietary behavior and on knowledge about healthy behavior than nonusers (self-reported diet: χ22 = 8.4, P = .02; knowledge: F1,125 = 4.194, P = .04). Furthermore, users underestimated their behavior more often than nonusers, and nonusers overestimated their behavior more often than users (insight into dietary behavior: χ22 = 8.2, P = .02). Intention-to-treat analyses showed no meaningful significant effects of the intervention. Exploratory analyses of differences between pretest and posttest scores of users, nonusers, and the control group showed that on dietary behavior only the nonusers significantly improved (effect size r = −.23, P = .03), while on physical activity behavior only the users significantly improved (effect size r = −.17, P = .03).\ud \ud Conclusions:\ud Respondents did not use the application as intended. From the proposed framework, a social and economic factor (age) and a condition-related factor (chronic condition) predicted usage. Moreover, users were healthier and more knowledgeable about healthy behavior than nonusers. We found no apparent effects of the intervention, although exploratory analyses showed that choosing to use or not to use the intervention led to different outcomes. Combined with the differences between groups at baseline, this seems to imply that these groups are truly different and should be treated as separate entities

Positive Behavior Support and Student Response to the Behavior Education Program

School-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) is an evidence-based systematic approach that views problem behaviors in a positive, preventative manner. Once a school-wide discipline system is in place, an intermediate-level intervention can be implemented to support the 5% to 15% of students who are at-risk of engaging in more severe behavior. Students who do not respond to universal behavioral approaches and need extra support can benefit from a targeted group intervention like the Behavior Education Program (BEP), which is based on a daily check-in check-out system providing students with immediate feedback on their behavior. This research study described the effectiveness of the Behavior Education Program on student problem behavior with seven elementary-aged school students. The findings confirmed that the BEP resulted in an improvement in behavior, and a reduction in the number of office discipline referrals for the majority of students who received the intervention. Limitations of the study were presented, as well as implications for school social work practice

Interventions for healthy eating and physical activity among obese elementary schoolchildren : observing changes of the combined effects of behavioral models

The aim of this experimental research was to examine the effectiveness of the SSII-Healthy Eating Intervention and Physical Activity intervention programs at the end of intervention implementation in term of combined effects. The sample of this study was 21 students in Sawadeewittaya School, aged 9-11 years, who met the inclusion criteria and consented to participate in the study. The dependent variables included knowledge about obesity-related Type 2 diabetes, healthy eating behavior, healthy eating self-efficacy, healthy eating self-control, and BMI. The study interventions were the SSII-Healthy Eating Intervention Program, and the SSII-Physical Activity Intervention Program. Each of the two interventions was created using the self-efficacy, self-control, and implementation intention principles. The sample was first implemented with the SSII-Healthy Eating Intervention Program, followed by the SSII-Physical Activity Intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows. The statistical tests were descriptive statistics and One-way repeated measures ANOVA. Results showed that: 1) after the individual SSII-Healthy Eating Intervention Program; mean scores of knowledge about obesity-related Type 2 diabetes, healthy eating self-efficacy, healthy eating self-control, and healthy eating behavior significantly increased from the baseline and BMI significantly decreased. 2) The combined effect of the SSII-Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Intervention Programs on healthy eating behavior was greater than that of the individual SSII-Healthy Eating Intervention, but not for BMI

Rehabilitation and social behavior: Experiments in prison

Despite the economic and social significance of crime reduction and criminals’ rehabilitation, research evaluating the effects of incarceration on behavior is surprisingly scarce. We conduct an experiment with 105 prison inmates and complement it with administrative data in order to explore several aspects of their social behavior. We first perform a comprehensive analysis of behavior in three economic games, finding evidence of discrimination against a sample from outside prison. In addition, our regression analysis reveals that inmates generally become less pro-social towards this out-group the longer they remain incarcerated. Finally, we introduce and evaluate a priming intervention that asks inmates to reflect on their time spent in prison. This intervention has a very sizeable and significant impact, increasing pro-sociality towards the out-group. Hence, a simple, low-cost intervention of this sort can have desirable effects in promoting rehabilitation and integration into social and economic life after release

Impact of Standing Desk Intervention on Sedentary Behavior of 4th Grade Students

Abstract The object of this study was to compare the differences in sedentary behavior of fourth grade students at standing desks to those at traditional desks. The hypothesis of implementing standing desks within the classroom was to decrease the sedentary behavior of the students and the null hypothesis was that the results would show no statistically significant difference. Research took place at a small private elementary in the Midwest. Data was collected on thirteen 4th grade students using accelerometers. The thirteen students were split into groups of four, and the intervention was completed with each individual group for a quarter of the school year. During the assessment, students wore accelerometers for a school week at the beginning of intervention and for another week at the end of the intervention. Data was collected through accelerometers on the ActivPal software. Analysis of the data was done using two tailed independent t-tests to compare all of the data from students at standing desk to students at the traditional desks. The behaviors of total number of sedentary bouts, average sedentary breaks, total sedentary time, and average daily sedentary time were all behaviors found significantly different. The statistical hypothesis is accepted, given that implementing standing desks affected the sedentary behavior of the students

Fresh start: a group-based intervention to promote physical activity among college freshman

Master of ScienceDepartment of KinesiologyEmily MaileyPhysical activity levels tend to decline as students transition from high school to college, and freshmen college women may be particularly susceptible to physical activity barriers. It is possible that providing physical activity resources and support via text messages could assist freshmen women in increasing their physical activity levels. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mobile group-based intervention for freshmen female college students on physical activity and sedentary behavior. In addition, we examined intervention effects on social support, enjoyment, and stress in this population. Freshmen females (n=30) were recruited to participate in a 9-week intervention that involved wearing a physical activity monitor for three individual weeks (week 0, week 5, and week 9) and receiving tailored weekly messages via GroupMe. Participants were randomly assigned to groups of 6-7 participants, and each group was moderated by one research assistant. GroupMe discussions were specifically formatted to provide physical activity social support, promote physical activity enjoyment, enhance knowledge about benefits of physical activity, suggest ways to decrease sedentary behavior, and increase awareness of various physical activity resources on campus, such as the recreational center. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Additionally, follow-up focus group sessions were conducted during the fall semester of the participants’ sophomore year to gain further feedback about the intervention. We hypothesized that students would demonstrate increases in physical activity, enjoyment, and social support, and decreases in sedentary behavior and stress after participating in the intervention. Results revealed no significant changes in physical activity or sedentary behavior based on objective data from the activPALs. A Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test of self-reported physical activity and sedentary behavior (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) indicated increases in self-reported sitting time from baseline to post-intervention (Z=-2.654, p<0.008). There were no significant changes in enjoyment, social support, or stress from baseline to post-intervention. A total of 10 participants attended a follow-up focus group session. Key recommendations included incorporating more face to face interaction, a change of topics within the messages to focus on more nutrition and exercise and or guided exercises, and running the intervention during the fall semester rather than the spring. Aspects of the program that participants liked the best included the feedback of activity provided by the activPAL, the idea of using GroupMe for the program, and the length of the program. Overall, results did not align with our hypotheses, but the intervention results and feedback from participants will help with intervention refinement. Future studies should continue to seek creative ways to promote physical activity in this population, with an overall purpose of sustaining physical activity habits beyond the intervention

Social Network Based Substance Abuse Prevention via Network Modification (A Preliminary Study)

Substance use and abuse is a significant public health problem in the United States. Group-based intervention programs offer a promising means of preventing and reducing substance abuse. While effective, unfortunately, inappropriate intervention groups can result in an increase in deviant behaviors among participants, a process known as deviancy training. This paper investigates the problem of optimizing the social influence related to the deviant behavior via careful construction of the intervention groups. We propose a Mixed Integer Optimization formulation that decides on the intervention groups, captures the impact of the groups on the structure of the social network, and models the impact of these changes on behavior propagation. In addition, we propose a scalable hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm that combines Mixed Integer Programming and Large Neighborhood Search to find near-optimal network partitions. Our algorithm is packaged in the form of GUIDE, an AI-based decision aid that recommends intervention groups. Being the first quantitative decision aid of this kind, GUIDE is able to assist practitioners, in particular social workers, in three key areas: (a) GUIDE proposes near-optimal solutions that are shown, via extensive simulations, to significantly improve over the traditional qualitative practices for forming intervention groups; (b) GUIDE is able to identify circumstances when an intervention will lead to deviancy training, thus saving time, money, and effort; (c) GUIDE can evaluate current strategies of group formation and discard strategies that will lead to deviancy training. In developing GUIDE, we are primarily interested in substance use interventions among homeless youth as a high risk and vulnerable population. GUIDE is developed in collaboration with Urban Peak, a homeless-youth serving organization in Denver, CO, and is under preparation for deployment

Public venture capital in Germany: task force or forced task?

This paper deals with the question of whether public venture capital (VC) is performing its task properly, taking a look at how public VC companies' selection process, investment behavior, and consulting services reflect goals that differ from those of private VC firms. The results present evidence that public VC firms deliver a different market segment than their private counterparts; for example, their selection process and syndication behavior reveal their predominant goal of promoting the local economy. Although the results indicate that public VC firms are doing what is expected of them, the analyses provide evidence that public intervention should be reconsidered. --Venture Capital,start-up financing,public intervention

Would People Behave Differently If They Better Understood Social Security? Evidence From a Field Experiment

This paper presents the results of a field experiment in which a sample of older workers was randomized between a treatment group that was given information about key Social Security provisions and a control group that was not. The experiment was designed to examine whether it is possible to affect individual behavior using a relatively inexpensive informational intervention about the provisions of a public program and to explore the mechanisms underlying the behavior change. We find that our relatively mild intervention (sending an informational brochure and an invitation to a web-tutorial) increased labor force participation one year later by 4 percentage points relative to the control group mean of 74 percent and that this effect is driven by a 7.2 percentage point increase among female subjects. In addition to affecting actual labor supply behavior, the information intervention increased survey measures of the perceived returns to working longer, especially among female respondents.