Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Using a Virtual Store As a Research Tool to Investigate Consumer In-store Behavior
Published on: July 24, 2017
Stages of behavioural change after direct-to-consumer disease risk profiling: study protocol of two integrated
Kelly F J Stewart1, Anke Wesselius2, Annemie M W J Schols3
1Department of Complex Genetics, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. k.stewart@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Background:
The incidence and prevalence of chronic diseases have reached epidemic proportions during the last decades and are not expected to diminish. Chronic diseases increasingly affect younger individuals too, with over 40% of all deaths due to non-communicable diseases occurring before the age of 70. This has led to the development of information services aimed at preventive health care, such as Health Potential®. This counselling service estimates a personal disease risk of a carefully selected list of preventable common chronic diseases that have both a genetic and a lifestyle component of development. The results are delivered face-to-face by a lifestyle counsellor, simultaneously stimulating initial steps towards behaviour change. This information can assist in lifestyle decision-making.
Methods/Design:
The primary aim is to study the effect of the Health Potential® service on change in lifestyle behaviour in distinguishable customer populations. The secondary aims are (1) to study the effect of the Health Potential® service on determinants of behaviour change, (2) to study the effect of additional lifestyle counselling on behaviour change and determinants thereof, and (3) to describe the characteristics of the Health Potential® customer. The study consists of two integrated designs: (A) a two-armed non-randomised controlled pre-test/post-test trial (1.5:1 ratio), followed by (B) a two-armed randomised controlled pre-test/post-test trial (1:1 ratio), resulting in three study arms. Participants are clients of local prevention clinics, purchasing a personalised health check (PHC; intervention condition), consisting of Health Potential® and a general health check, or the general health check alone (GHC; control condition) (part A). PHC participants will be randomised to receive four additional lifestyle counselling sessions over a period of 3 months (part B).
Discussion:
This research can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of and possible ways forward in the field of personalised prevention making use of lifestyle interventions enriched with modern genetic advancements.
Trial Registration:
Nederlands Trial Register, NTR6289 and NTR6288 . Registered on 24 February 2017.
Related Concept Videos
Applications of Integration to Find Consumer Surplus
Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Temperature
To understand this phenomenon, consider the elementary reaction:
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
The Integrated Rate Law: The Dependence of Concentration on Time
Trial and Error and Algorithm
Clinical Trials: Overview

