Literature Review of Internet Interventions Across Health Behaviors - Intervention Characteristics, Framework, Recruitment Strategies, and Outcomes

Purpose: The current review examines studies across health behaviors, and analyzes intervention characteristics, framework, recruitment strategies, and outcomes. Methods: Internet health interventions in the U.S. published between 2005 and 2010 were identified through Medline and CINAHL. Key words used were (Internet or e-health or social media or web) paired with (intervention or program*). Initial search yielded 786 entries, 35 met all inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Results: Studies were analyzed by behavioral interventions on: tobacco (6), alcohol (4), weight loss (7), physical activity (5), nutrition (2), physical activity and nutrition combined (5), HIV (3), and chronic diseases (3). Interventions ranged from one session to 24 weeks (average 6-12 weeks). Common strategies used included web-based information, tailored feedback, weekly e-mails, goal setting, and self-assessment. Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical models were the most commonly used frameworks. Certain recruitment strategies were more common for specific settings and/or populations. Except for the tobacco Internet interventions, the majority of interventions yielded significant outcomes. Conclusion: Findings show consistent evidence that Internet interventions using a combination of strategies often result in favorable outcomes. This review provides timely updates and synthesized knowledge on the design and effectiveness of Internet interventions across health behaviors.