Online Program

321318
Effectiveness of liveWell: An Online Program to Promote Student Well-being


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 5:30 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.

Lynne Broderick, MPH, Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, South Kingstown, RI
Sara Johnson, PhD, Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, South Kingstown, RI
Carol Cummins, MEd, MLIS, Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc, South Kingstown, RI
liveWell: A healthy foundation for life is an evidence-based, Transtheoretical Model-driven, individually tailored behavior change program designed to promote well-being among college students by promoting exercise, healthy eating, and stress management.

A randomized clinical trial (n=1841 students from 2 universities) was conducted with six- and 12-month follow-up. Participants responded to measures of exercise, healthy eating, and stress; stage of change algorithms; and assessments of well-being. Data were analyzed across all time points using generalized estimating equations (GEE) examining repeated measures effects.

Within each behavior, analyses assessed group differences on (1) movement to Action or Maintenance (A/M) stages and (2) continuous measures among those in a pre-action stage at baseline; (3) proportion of students in A/M at baseline that remained in those stages at follow-up; and (4) well-being scores.

Results indicate that:

  • More treatment (liveWell) participants adopted regular exercise at 3-months (61.3% versus 42.9%; OR=1.75).
  • Treatment participants were more likely to progress to A/M for healthy eating at 3- and 6-months (63.7% versus 40.9%; OR = 2.28; 35.7% versus 20.2%; OR = 1.81).
  • Treatment participants reported eating significantly more servings of fruit and vegetables at 6 and 12 months (4.11 servings versus 2.46; 3.83 versus 2.42).
  • Treatment participants were more likely to continue managing stress at 3 and 6 months (93.0% versus 88.8%; OR=1.8; 80.9% versus 71%; OR=1.52).
  • Treatment participants reported significantly increased well-being (46.6% thriving versus 30.1%, OR=1.5).

The results demonstrate that utilizing an engaging, theoretically-based intervention customized to college students’ needs can impact their health behaviors and well-being.

Learning Areas:

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

Learning Objectives:
Identify the need for and value of an evidence-based, theoretically-driven intervention designed to promote well-being among first year college students.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I managed the Phase II randomized clinical trial of liveWell including content development, programming, participant recruitment and retention and implementation across 2 sites.
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.