Cited by 854Behavioral Health and InterventionsMobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsMedia Influence and Health

A meta-analysis of computer-tailored interventions for health behavior change

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Krebs, Paul, Prochaska, James O., Rossi, Joseph S.·2010·Preventive Medicine

Abstract

Objective Computer-tailored interventions have become increasingly common for facilitating improvement in behaviors related to chronic disease and health promotion. A sufficient number of outcome studies from these interventions are now available to facilitate the quantitative analysis of effect sizes, permitting moderator analyses that were not possible with previous systematic reviews.Method The present study employs meta-analytic techniques to assess the mean effect for 88 computer-tailored interventions published between 1988 and 2009 focusing on four health behaviors: smoking cessation, physical activity, eating a healthy diet, and receiving regular mammography screening. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges g. Study, tailoring, and demographic moderators were examined by analyzing between-group variance and meta-regression.Results Clinically and statistically significant overall effect sizes were found across each of the four behaviors. While effect sizes decreased after intervention completion, dynamically tailored interventions were found to have increased efficacy over time as compared with tailored interventions based on one assessment only. Study effects did not differ across communication channels nor decline when up to three behaviors were identified for intervention simultaneously.Conclusion This study demonstrates that computer-tailored interventions have the potential to improve health behaviors and suggests strategies that may lead to greater effectiveness of these techniques.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.06.004

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  • The effect of serious games on behavior is comparable to that of other computer-delivered interventions.

    “The effect sizes on behavior were however in line with findings of two meta-analyses on computer-delivered interventions (range between 0.13 and 0.22 (Krebs, Prochaska, & Rossi 2010); and range between 0.04 and 0.35 (Portnoy, Scott-Sheldon, Johnson, & Carey 2008)). Hence, serious games for the promotion of healthy lifestyles may be considered as effective as other computer-delivered interventions.”

    From A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion (2014) · cites this paper as Krebs, Prochaska, & Rossi 2010

  • In computer-tailored interventions, tailoring showed the strongest effects when based on both theoretical concepts and user characteristics and performed via dynamic tailoring.

    “Similarly, in computer-tailored interventions, tailoring showed the strongest effects when based on both theoretical concepts (e.g. stages of change, decisional balance, attitudes) and user characteristics (Noar et al. 2007) and performed via dynamic tailoring, in which tailoring is continuously adjusted during the intervention (Krebs, Prochaska, & Rossi 2010).”

    From A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion (2014) · cites this paper as Krebs, Prochaska, & Rossi 2010

  • Conveying health information without considering individual differences may inhibit behavior change.

    “Experts in health behavior change have shown that conveying health information without considering individual differences may inhibit behavior change [20-26].”
  • Tailored Web-based interventions have been recognized for statistically significant effect sizes for health behavior change among diverse populations facing chronic disease.

    “Clinically relevant results, such as adopting a healthy lifestyle or adhering to medication, and statistically significant effect sizes of tailored Web-based interventions have been recognized for health behavior change among diverse populations facing chronic disease [20,29,30].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Institute of Medicine 2001 Health and behavior 377 National Academies Press
  2. Hageman PA Walker SN Pullen CH 2005 Tailored versus standard internet-delivered interventions to promote physical activity in older women J Geriatr Phys Ther 28 28 33 16236225
  3. Heimendinger J O’Neill C Marcus AC Wolfe P Julesburg K Morra M Allen A Davis S Mowad L Perocchia RS Ward JD Strecher V Warnecke R Nowak M Graf I Fairclough D Bryant L Lipkus I 2005 Multiple tailored messages are effective in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among callers to the cancer information service J Health Commun 10 65 82 16377601
  4. Strecher VJ Shiffman S West R 2005 Randomized controlled trial of a web-based computer-tailored smoking cessation program as a supplement to nicotine patch therapy Addiction 100 682 688 15847626
  5. [28]Vandelanotte C Reeves MM Brug J De Bourdeaudhuij I 2008 A randomized trial of sequential and simultaneous multiple behavior change interventions for physical activity and fat intake Prev Med 46 232 237 17707079

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Authors
Krebs, P., Prochaska, J. O., & Rossi, J. S.
Affiliations
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
  • University of Rhode Island (US)
Corresponding author
Krebs, Paul
Venue
Preventive Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-09
Volume
51
Issue
3-4
Pages
214-221
ISSN
0091-7435 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2020292934
Cited by
854
References
209
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 61 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 71 · 2016: 64 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 70 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 53
FWCI
4.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Journal of Media Literacy Education (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
National Cancer Institute (P30CA008748, T32CA009461)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
Keywords
computer-tailored intervention, health behavior change, smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy eating, mammography screening, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, communication channels
MeSH terms
Decision Making, Computer-Assisted, Diet, Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Male, Mammography, Motor Activity, Patient Compliance, Health Behavior, Smoking Cessation, Reminder Systems

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