Active8! Technology-based intervention to promote physical activity in hospital employees

Blake, Holly, Suggs, L. Suzanne, Coman, Emil, Aguirre, Lucia and Batt, Mark E. (2017) Active8! Technology-based intervention to promote physical activity in hospital employees. American Journal of Health Promotion, 31 (2). pp. 109-118. ISSN 2168-6602

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Purpose: Increase physical activity in healthcare employees using health messaging, and compare email with mobile phone short-message service (SMS) as delivery channels.

Design: Randomised controlled trial

Setting: UK hospital workplace

Subjects: 296 employees (19-67 years, 53% of study website visitors)

Intervention: 12-week messaging intervention designed to increase physical activity and delivered via SMS (n=147) or email (n=149); content tailored using Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and limited to 160 characters.

Measures: Baseline, 6, 12 and 16 weeks. Online measures included TPB constructs; physical activity behaviour on the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire; health-related quality of life on the Short-Form 12.

Analysis: General linear models for repeated measures.

Results: Increase in duration (mean hours/day) of moderate work-related activity and moderate recreational activity from baseline to 16 weeks. Short-lived increase in frequency (days/week) of vigorous recreational activity from baseline to 6 weeks. Increase in duration and frequency of active travel from baseline to 16 weeks. Emails generated greater changes than SMS in active travel and moderate activity (work and recreational).

Conclusion: Minimal physical activity promotion delivered by SMS or email can increase frequency and duration of active travel, and duration of moderate-intensity physical activity at work and for leisure, which is maintained up to one-month after messaging ends. Both channels were useful platforms for health communication; emails were particularly beneficial with hospital employees.

Item Type: Article
RIS ID: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/842489
Keywords: Cellular phone, Health communication, Text messaging, Electronic mail, Exercise, Workplace
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Medicine
Identification Number: 10.4278/ajhp.140415-QUAN-143
Depositing User: Eprints, Support
Date Deposited: 12 May 2017 10:35
Last Modified: 04 May 2020 18:32
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/42811

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View