Evaluation of Work Place Group and Internet Based Physical Activity Interventions on Psychological Variables Associated with Exercise Behavior Change

The purpose of this research was to compare group-based and internet-based physical activity interventions in terms of desirability, participants characteristics, exercise self-efficacy, and barrier self-efficacy. Pretest questionnaires were completed prior to voluntary enrollment into either of the ten-week physical activity interventions. Both interventions were based on Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical Model. Interventions were followed with posttest questionnaires. Results demonstrated that the internet intervention attracted more participants, but only the grou-based participants showed significant increases in exercise and barrier self-efficacy. At pretest, participants who selected the internet intervention were significantly lower in life and job satisfaction than those who selected the group intervention. Results suggested that traditional group-based exercise interventions are helpful for improving cognitions associated with exercise behavior change (e.g., exercise self-efficacy) and that the internet intervention may help employees who fall into an “unhappy employee” typology

A novel experience-based internet intervention for smoking cessation : feasibility randomised controlled trial

The iPEx programme presents independent research funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research funding scheme (RP-PG-0608-10147). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors, representing iPEx, and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exclusive Breastfeeding Increased by an Internet Intervention

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is acknowledged universally as the optimal feeding method for infants in order to provide the greatest health and well-being gains for the infant and mother. Despite this, many women stop short of attaining this desired outcome for their infant. With the permeation of the Internet into most of society, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a breastfeeding support Internet intervention on breastfeeding outcomes on women living in regional Western Australia. Materials and Methods: A nested intervention design within a longitudinal cohort titled the Regional Infant Feeding Study examined the effect of an Internet support Web site on the infant feeding practices of women living in regional Western Australia. Results: In total, 414 women participated in the Internet study and were randomly assigned to the control group (n=207) or the intervention group (n=207). Women enrolled in the intervention were significantly more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum compared with control group participants. Those women experiencing breastfeeding problems were more likely to access the Internet. Conclusions: This breastfeeding support intervention study demonstrated a positive effect on longer-term exclusive breastfeeding for those enrolled in the intervention group. Together with more traditional methods of support, the Internet provides another possible method for promoting positive long-term breastfeeding outcomes

Randomised feasibility study of a novel experience-based internet intervention to support self-management in chronic asthma.

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Designing an Internet Intervention for Emerging Adults Who Experience Troubled Relationships

This article describes how the Internet Intervention Model (IIM) was used as an organizing framework to design a theoretically based Internet intervention for emerging adults who experience troubled intimate partner relationships. In the design process, the team addressed six fundamental questions related to the several components of the IIM. Decisions made regarding the design of the intervention based on the six questions are described. We focus in particular on how the intervention is based on the Theory of Emerging Adulthood and the Theory of Narrative Identity

Evaluating the Impact of Broadband Access and Internet Use in a Small Underserved Rural Community

Having adequate access to the internet at home enhances quality-of-life for households and facilitates economic and social opportunities. Despite increased investment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of households in the rural United States still lack adequate access to high-speed internet. In this study, we evaluate a wireless broadband network deployed in Turney, a small, underserved rural community in northwest Missouri. In addition to collecting survey data before and after this internet intervention, we collected pre-treatment and post-treatment survey data from comparison communities to serve as a control group. Due to technical constraints, some of Turney\u27s interested participants could not connect to the network, creating an additional comparison group. These comparisons suggest two primary findings, (1) changes in using the internet for employment, education, and health could not be directly attributed to the internet intervention, and (2) the internet intervention was associated with benefits stemming from the ability to use multiple devices at once. This study has implications for the design of future broadband evaluation studies, particularly those examining underserved rather than unserved communities. Recommendations for identifying appropriate outcome variables, executing recruitment strategies, and selecting the timing of surveys are made

Evaluating the Impact of Broadband Access and Internet Use in a Small Underserved Rural Community

Having adequate access to the internet at home enhances quality-of-life for households and facilitates economic and social opportunities. Despite increased investment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of households in the rural United States still lack adequate access to high-speed internet. In this study, we evaluate a wireless broadband network deployed in Turney, a small, underserved rural community in northwest Missouri. In addition to collecting survey data before and after this internet intervention, we collected pre-treatment and post-treatment survey data from comparison communities to serve as a control group. Due to technical constraints, some of Turney\u27s interested participants could not connect to the network, creating an additional comparison group. These comparisons suggest two primary findings, (1) changes in using the internet for employment, education, and health could not be directly attributed to the internet intervention, and (2) the internet intervention was associated with benefits stemming from the ability to use multiple devices at once. This study has implications for the design of future broadband evaluation studies, particularly those examining underserved rather than unserved communities. Recommendations for identifying appropriate outcome variables, executing recruitment strategies, and selecting the timing of surveys are made

Online prevention of postpartum depression for Spanish- and English-speaking pregnant women: A pilot randomized controlled trial

AbstractBackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is a maternal mental health problem that affects women from all regions of the world. Unfortunately, even in developed countries, half of the cases go undetected and, consequently, untreated. Individuals from low and middle income countries trend toward underutilization of mental health services, partly due to the limited number of available psychological resources. The primary aims of this pilot randomized controlled trial were to adapt to the Internet using the Mothers and Babies Course/Curso Mamás y Bebés, a prevention of PPD intervention, to describe the characteristics of the pregnant women who engaged in the intervention site, and to obtain preliminary data on the efficacy of the Internet intervention to reduce the risk of PPD.MethodsPregnant women, 18years or older who were interested in using the site for themselves were recruited and randomly assigned to a fully-automated self-help Internet intervention or to an information-only control condition. Randomized participants were invited to complete monthly depression assessments up to six months postpartum. To examine the prevention effects of the Internet intervention, pregnant women who did not meet current criteria for a major depressive episode, who engaged with the study website, and who provided depression data during the postpartum follow-up period were included in the study analyses.ResultsParticipants were 111 predominantly Spanish-speaking (82.9%) and Latino/Hispanic (71.3%) pregnant women residing in 23 countries worldwide. The effect of the prevention intervention condition failed to reach significance at the a priori alpha-level. However, the observed coefficient trended in the hypothesized direction (b=−0.514, χ2 (1)=3.43, p=.061; HR=0.598). The benefits of receiving the e-MB Internet intervention were greater for pregnant women reporting high (vs. low) levels of prenatal depression symptoms (b=−0.605, χ2 (1)=5.20, p=.023).ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that Internet interventions are a promising method toward expanding the reach of psychological resources to perinatal women at-risk for PPD

"Cerebellar Challenge" for Older Adults: Evaluation of a Home-Based Internet Intervention

There is converging evidence that maintenance of function in the multiple connectivity networks involving the cerebellum is a key requirement for healthy aging. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a home-based, internet-administered “cerebellar challenge” intervention designed to create progressive challenges to vestibular function, multi-tasking, and dynamic coordination. Participants (n = 98, mean age 68.2, SD 6.6) were randomly allocated to either intervention (the cerebellar challenge training for 10 weeks) or no intervention. All participants undertook an initial series of pre-tests, and then an identical set of post-tests following the intervention period. The test battery comprised five suites of tests designed to evaluate cognitive-sensori-motor-affective functions, including Physical Coordination, Memory, Language Dexterity, Fluid Thinking and Affect. The intervention group showed significant pre- to post improvements in 9 of the 18 tests, whereas the controls improved significantly on one only. Furthermore, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than the controls on the “Physical Coordination” suite of tests, with evidence also of differential improvement on the Delayed Picture Recall test. Frequency of intervention use correlated significantly with the improvement in balance and in peg-moving speed. It is concluded that an internet-based cerebellar challenge programme for older adults can lead to benefits in balance, coordination and declarative memory. Limitations and directions for further research are outlined

A controlled trial of a school-based internet program for reducing depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

Background: This study evaluates the benefits of a self-directed Internet intervention for depression (MoodGYM) delivered as a part ofthe high school curriculum. Method: One hundred and fifty-seven girls, aged 15 and 16 years, were allocated to undertak