Increasing Health Behaviors and Psychological Measures with an Adapted Version of the ACCELERATION Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Lifestyle Interventions
• Chronic Disease Prevention

Background:

• Physical inactivity and unhealthy eating are significant public health concerns, particularly in lower-income countries.
• The ACCELERATION lifestyle program, originally from Canada, was adapted for a Brazilian population.
• The study focused on improving moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and fruit/vegetable consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the adapted ACCELERATION program on health behaviors in Brazilians.
• To assess changes in weekly MVPA and daily fruit/vegetable intake.
• To determine the program's potential for chronic disease risk factor reduction.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week quasi-randomized controlled trial delivered via email.
• Participants included a Canadian experimental group (CE) and two Brazilian groups (experimental BE, control BC).
• Statistical analyses included ANCOVA for continuous variables and Chi-square/McNemar tests for categorical variables.

Main Results:

• The Brazilian experimental (BE) group showed significant increases in MVPA (86.3 min/week) and fruit/vegetable intake (3.2 servings/day).
• In the BE group, participation in ≥150 min MVPA rose from 4.9% to 73.2%, and healthy diet adoption increased from 4.9% to 53.7%.
• The Canadian experimental (CE) group also improved, with no significant difference compared to the BE group; the Brazilian control (BC) group showed no changes.

Conclusions:

• The Brazilian adaptation of the ACCELERATION program successfully promoted positive health behavior changes.
• The program demonstrates potential for combating chronic disease risk factors among Brazilians.
• Email-delivered lifestyle interventions can be effective in diverse populations.