The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #67064

Kathryn L Matthews, MPH, Diana D Laurent, MPH, and Kate R. Lorig, DrPH. Department of Medicine, Stanford University, 1000 Welch Road #204, Palo Alto, CA 94304, 650-723-7935, kmatthews@stanford.edu

The growth of the Internet brings opportunities for developing a new generation of health education programs. The purpose of the Healthy Living Internet Project was to develop an on-line intervention that translates evidenced based, small group chronic disease self-management onto the Internet, and to evaluate its outcomes in terms of health status, self-efficacy, and health care utilization. Small groups of 20-25 people with heart disease, lung disease, or type II diabetes participate together to form a diverse on-line community. Healthy Living is specifically designed to increase the participant’s self-efficacy to manage their chronic condition. The Healthy Living Internet Project incorporates Self-Efficacy theory using four efficacy-enhancing strategies. 1) Skills mastery is accomplished by weekly goal setting and feedback using bulletin boards 2) modeling is done by using two on-line peer moderators to model self-management techniques, 3) on-line learning modules encourage participants to reinterpret the causes of their symptoms, 4) social persuasion is accomplished with bulletin boards and email discussions about disease related problems. Most recruitment and all data collection have been done on line. To date more than 300 people have participated in the program. Over 90% have logged on at least once a week for all 6 weeks with a mean of 17 logons for the entire program. Participants ranged in age from 31-81 with a mean age of 58. Twenty-five percent were ethnic minorities and 25% had completed 12 or less years of education.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.To identify four strategies for improving self-efficacy
• 2.To discuss how to apply self-efficacy theory to on-line interventions

Keywords: Internet, Self-Efficacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Archstone Foundation.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.