Testing a web-based tailoring program about different lifestyle behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, eating pattern and exercise).

Smoking, high alcohol consumption, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity often lead to diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Tailored web-based interventions are one way to help people to change and improve their lifestyle. The aim of this study is to test and compare the effectiveness of three different strategies for changing lifestyle using a multiple health behaviour web-based approach. Within our program, people in the sequential condition are provided with the opportunity to change one behavior first and if they succeed, they may choose a second behavior. People in the generic condition are invited to change all their unhealthy behaviors at once. People in the control condition receive a health risk appraisal once. It is hypothesized that the effectiveness of the experimental conditions will depend on the motivational characteristics of the person.

The effectiveness of the experimental conditions depends on the motivational characteristics of the person.

1. The sequential condition will lead to 10% behavior change in one behavior after two years, if a person is only motivated to change one behavioor in comparison with the generic condition and to 20% behavior change when compared to the control condition;

2. We aim at demonstrating a 10% difference for the generic condition in comparison with the sequential group and a 20% difference with the control group. Hence, the generic approach will be most relevant for people willing to change a whole set of behaviors.

T0: demographic characteristics, health status (SF12, MHI5, K10), health behavior status (Smoking is measured by the abbreviated version of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. Alcohol consumption is measured by the Dutch Quantity-Frequency-Variability questionnaire (QFV). Fruit and vegetable intake is measured by the Short Questionnaire for Fruit and Vegetable Intake. Physical activity is measured by the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity (SQUASH). + health risk appraisal.


Exp conditions: questionnaire about perceptions (beliefs) with respect to one or more health behaviors) + personal advice.



T1 (after 12 months):

CG: Questionnaires about health behaviors;

EG: Questionnaires about health behaviors as well as their perceptions concerning ons or more health behaviors.



T2 (after 24 months):

CG: Questionnaires about health behaviors;

EG: Questionnaires about health behaviors as well as their perceptions concerning ons or more health behaviors.

There are three different conditions: two experimental conditions and one control group.

In the Sequential Single Behavior Tailoring condition (SSBTc), persons will be invited to first change one behavior in the first year. Persons will be encouraged to change the behavior for which they are motivated most. They are free to select one of the behaviors with which they do not comply with the recommendation in order to receive personal advice on this health behavior. At every prompt, persons in this condition will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about all behaviors, as well as about their perceptions (beliefs) with respect to the behavior they have chosen to focus on. If persons fill in the test in the meantime, they only have to fill out the questions concerning the chosen behavior. In case a person has successfully changed the first behavior, he/she will be provided the option to choose a second behavior in the second year. In case a person has not changed the first behavior, he/she will be invited to change the behavior for which he/she is motivated most in the second year.



Generic Lifestyle Tailoring. In case of a negative discrepancy between the status of their current health behaviors and public health guidelines set for these behaviors, participants in the Generic Lifestyle Tailoring condition (GLTc) are stimulated to change all these behaviors with help of the CT program. Thus, persons obtain feedback on all behaviors with which they do not comply to the guideline. At every prompt and every visit, persons will be asked to fill-out questions about all five health behaviors. In this way, the program can check on which behaviors the person must receive personal feedback concerning their perceptions.



Control condition. The control condition will only receive questionnaires about the five health behaviors at pretest (T0) and at follow up at 6 months, (T1), 12 months (T2) and 24 months (T3). At baseline, they receive the health risk appraisal, but they have no opportunity to receive personal advice on their perceptions concerning one or more health behaviors.