Internet delivered physical activity interventions for primary and secondary prevention: increasing website usage and improving behaviour change outcomes

Research highlights the increasing burden of physical inactivity and chronic disease. Through continued technological development alternative media for delivering behaviour change programs have become available. The internet offers particular advantages in reach and delivery, and in the ability to be interactive, individualised and specialised. The overall purpose of this research was to explore the utility and effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change programs in primary and secondary prevention. Conducting a meta-analytical review to investigate the effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change interventions to-date and the effect of moderators within the interventions was the first step in this research. The second step was to examine predictors of website usage within a current publicly accessible physical activity website (10,000 Steps) aimed at primary prevention. The results of the first two studies guided the development and evaluation of an internet delivered physical activity intervention specific to individuals diagnosed with Type II diabetes. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrated a small but positive effect size, indicating internet interventions are effective in producing physical activity behaviour change, yet more work is needed to enhance their effectiveness. The second study found high website usage among registered 10,000 Steps participants and demonstrated effectiveness of specific interactive features to enhance website engagement. Finally, the third study, which was a randomised controlled trial, found significant increases in physical activity in the intervention group when compared to the control group. Furthermore, high website satisfaction was observed in the intervention group, as well as significantly greater logins in comparison to the control group. The combined results of these studies demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of internet delivered physical activity behaviour change interventions.