260770 Best practices in designing for dissemination: Development of liveWell, an online health promotion program for college students

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Lynne Broderick, MPH , Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, West Kingston, RI
Sara Johnson, PhD , Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, West Kingston, RI
Carol Cummins, MEd, MLIS , Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, West Kingston, RI
Janice Prochaska, PhD , Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, West Kingston, RI
     
Background: liveWell: A healthy foundation for life is an innovative online, multi-media intervention designed to help college students improve their exercise, eating, and stress management habits. The Phase II randomized clinical trial of liveWell is ongoing, but the marriage of expert design and end user input showcases best practices in designing for dissemination. Methods: liveWell generates an individualized path for prevention and behavior change by using algorithms and pre-programmed decision rules that link responses to personalized feedback. The evidence-based program, developed by behavior change experts, generates hundreds of paths—ensuring that each student receives the guidance he or she needs. The individual path a user can end up on, while driven by evidence and statistics, was personalized and optimized through extensive end user input. Intervention experts enhanced liveWell by utilizing formative research conducted with student focus groups (n=36); usability testing by current college students (n=9); interviews conducted with national experts in college health (n=4); input of an interdisciplinary team of college students from various US colleges (n=6); and expert reviews. Results: The result of merging evidence-based individually tailored behavior change guidance developed by behavior change experts with extensive end user input is a program designed for dissemination and maximum effectiveness, acceptability, engagement, and usability. Specific examples of the modifications made will be provided. Conclusions: To guarantee liveWell's success, it was crucial to involve end-users in the design process. Involving end users in the development ensures liveWell is an engaging, theoretically-based intervention specifically targeted to the unique needs college students.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe best practices used to develop a health behavior change program for college students Apply the techniques used in the development of liveWell to other interventions in development Discuss strategies to improve and maintain health and well-being among college students

Keywords: Behavioral Research, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been in research project management and dissemination for over 10 years. This experience has given me perspective on the best practices for designing for dissemination. In addition, I have extensive knowledge of the Transtheoretical Model, upon which this research is based.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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