Abstract
Combined lifestyle interventions (CLI) are focused on guiding clients with weight-related health risks into a healthy lifestyle. CLIs are most often delivered through face-to-face sessions with limited use of eHealth technologies. To integrate eHealth into existing CLIs, it is important to identify how behavior change techniques are being used by health professionals in the online and offline treatment of overweight clients. Therefore, we conducted online semi-structured interviews with providers of online and offline lifestyle interventions. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Thirty-eight professionals with (n = 23) and without (n = 15) eHealth experience were interviewed. Professionals indicate that goal setting and action planning, providing feedback and monitoring, facilitating social support, and shaping knowledge are of high value to improve physical activity and eating behaviors. These findings suggest that it may be beneficial to use monitoring devices combined with video consultations to provide just-in-time feedback based on the client’s actual performance. In addition, it can be useful to incorporate specific social support functions allowing CLI clients to interact with each other. Lastly, our results indicate that online modules can be used to enhance knowledge about health consequences of unhealthy behavior in clients with weight-related health risks.
Highlights
In the Netherlands, more than 50% of the adult population is currently moderately or severely overweight [1]
This study examined how behavior change techniques (BCTs) are used by health professionals in online- and offline lifestyle interventions to improve physical activity and eating behaviors in clients with weight-related health risks
The results of this study show a diversity of BCTs used in Combined lifestyle interventions (CLI)
Summary
In the Netherlands, more than 50% of the adult population is currently moderately or severely overweight [1]. This prevalence rate is in line with other high- and middle-income countries [2]. Overweight is associated with a range of health issues and noncommunicable diseases, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and physical and psychological impairment [3]. Underlying determinants are complex and multifactorial, overweight is a result of an imbalance in energy balance-related behaviors, namely physical activity and food intake [4]. Combined lifestyle interventions (CLI) are focused on guiding clients with weightrelated health risks into a healthy lifestyle. The multi-component approach, targeting eating and physical activity behaviors, contributes to improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic factors, including weight, HbA1c, waist circumference, and cholesterol [8,9]
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