The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .
Evaluation of an internet-based physical activity intervention: A preliminary investigation
The Internet has the potential for delivering innovative , interactive physical activity ( PA ) interventions to large numbers of people . This study was design ed to test the efficacy of an Internet intervention that consisted of a Web site plus 12 weekly e-mail tip sheets , compared with a waiting list control group . The Internet intervention was theory based and emphasized clear , graphical presentation of PA information . Sixty-five ( 30 intervention and 35 control ) sedentary adult employees of several large hospitals ( 9 men and 56 women ) were r and omly assigned to 1 of the 2 study arms . Of the 65 participants , 57 completed the 1-month follow-up , and 52 completed the 3-month follow-up . At both 1 and 3 months , those in the intervention group were significantly more likely to have progressed in stage of motivational readiness for PA than participants in the control group : 1 month , χ2(1 , N=52 ) = 4.05 , p > .05 ; 3 months , χ2(1 , N = 52 ) = 6.45 , p > .01 . We hypothesized that at 1 and 3 months , the intervention group would exhibit significant increases relative to the control group on the number of minutes of moderate activity . At the 1-month assessment , the intervention group did exhibit significant increases , relative to the control group in moderate minutes , F(1 , 54 ) = 5.79 , p > .05 ; however , at the 3-month assessment this difference was no longer significant . In addition , secondary analyses were conducted to examine total number of minutes of walking reported . At 1 month , the intervention group did exhibit significant increases , relative to the control group , in walking minutes , F(1 , 54 ) = 12.1 , p > .001 . At the 3-month assessment , amount of time spent in walking activity continued to be significantly higher for the intervention group compared with the control group , F(1 , 48 ) = 5.2 , p > .05 . These findings show that a theoretically based PA Web site and weekly e-mail tip sheets can have a short-term impact on PA motivation and behavior both at 1 and 3 months . As Internet access increases , and as b and with and other technical attributes of this medium improve , Web site delivered health behavior interventions will become increasingly useful in public health promotion
The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .