Impact evaluation of a pilot web-based intervention to increase physical activity.

Area of Science:

• Health and Physical Education
• Behavioral Science
• Online Learning

Background:

• Physical activity interventions are crucial for college student health.
• Web-based interventions offer scalable solutions for health promotion.
• Evaluating the efficacy of online versus traditional physical activity programs is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a 10-week web-based physical activity intervention.
• To compare the effectiveness of web-based, traditional physical activity, and health instruction on student outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, three-group pretest-posttest design was employed.
• 233 college students were divided into web-based, physical activity, and general health groups.
• Outcome variables included physical activity levels, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social support.

Main Results:

• The web-based and physical activity groups showed significant improvements in vigorous physical activity (p < .01).
• Self-regulation and outcome expectancy also significantly improved in both intervention groups (p < .01).

Conclusions:

• Web-based and traditional physical activity interventions are superior to health courses for improving vigorous physical activity and self-regulation.
• Online interventions show promise for promoting physical activity and behavioral change in college students.
• Further research with larger, randomized samples is warranted to confirm these findings.