A tailored internet-plus-email intervention for increasing physical activity among ethnically-diverse women

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an individually tailored, Internet-plus-email physical activity intervention designed for adult women. Method Healthy and ethnically-diverse adult females (N = 156) (mean age = 42.8 years, 65% Caucasian) from California were randomly assigned to an intervention (access to a tailored website and weekly emails) or wait-list control group. Participants completed web-based assessments of physical activity, stage of behavior change, and psychosocial variables at baseline, one month, two months, and three months. Data were collected during 2006–2007. Multilevel random coefficient modeling examined group differences in rates of change. Results As compared to the control condition, the intervention group increased walking (+ 69 versus + 32 min per week) and total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (+ 23 versus − 25 min per week) after three months. The intervention did not impact stage of behavior change or any of the other psychosocial variables. Conclusion A tailored, Internet-based intervention for adult women had a positive effect on walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in an ethnically-diverse sample. However, given the lack of comparable research contact in the control group, these findings should be taken cautiously.