Evaluating Active U: an internet-mediated physical activity program

Lorraine R Buis,Caroline R Richardson,David E Goodrich,Robert G Holleman,Ananda Sen,Lavaughn Palma-Davis,Paul J Resnick,Timothy A Poulton

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-331

Abstract

BackgroundEngaging in regular physical activity can be challenging, particularly during the winter months. To promote physical activity at the University of Michigan during the winter months, an eight-week Internet-mediated program (Active U) was developed providing participants with an online physical activity log, goal setting, motivational emails, and optional team participation and competition.MethodsThis study is a program evaluation of Active U. Approximately 47,000 faculty, staff, and graduate students were invited to participate in the online Active U intervention in the winter of 2007. Participants were assigned a physical activity goal and were asked to record each physical activity episode into the activity log for eight weeks. Statistics for program reach, effectiveness, adoption, and implementation were calculated using the Re-Aim framework. Multilevel regression analyses were used to assess the decline in rates of data entry and goal attainment during the program, to assess the likelihood of joining a team by demographic characteristics, to test the association between various predictors and the number of weeks an individual met his or her goal, and to analyze server load.ResultsOverall, 7,483 individuals registered with the Active U website (≈16% of eligible), and 79% participated in the program by logging valid data at least once. Staff members, older participants, and those with a BMI < 25 were more likely to meet their weekly physical activity goals, and average rate of meeting goals was higher among participants who joined a competitive team compared to those who participated individually (IRR = 1.28, P < .001).ConclusionInternet-mediated physical activity interventions that focus on physical activity logging and goal setting while incorporating team competition may help a significant percentage of the target population maintain their physical activity during the winter months.

Highlights

Engaging in regular physical activity can be challenging, during the winter months
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) currently recommend that all Americans engage in physical activity of at least moderate intensity three to five times a week in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle
Reach: Program Registration Of the approximately 47,074 eligible individuals invited to participate in the eight-week Active U program, 7,483 (815 faculty, 5,448 staff, and 1,220 graduate students) registered with the Active U website (≈16% of eligible participants, see Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Engaging in regular physical activity can be challenging, during the winter months. Engaging in regular physical activity can be challenging, during winter months when individual physical activity levels tend to decline [9,10,11]. It is important to promote physical activity during the winter when individuals are likely to be less active. While worksite and community-based interventions increase physical activity and promote weight loss among participants [12,13,14,15,16], they can be expensive to coordinate and often have limited reach. Some research studies provide evidence that Internet-mediated interventions may be effective for increasing physical activity [19,20,21,22]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion