Changing Behavior Using Internet and Social Media

Background: The Eat Smart, Move More…Maintain, don't gain Holiday Challenge is a six-week web-based program challenging participants to maintain their weight through the holidays. Americans gain up to five pounds each holiday season; however weight gained is often never lost after the holidays leading to annual weight gain.

Program background: The Holiday Challenge was created to reach women (specifically mothers) who influence family decisions, including health behaviors. Information disseminated via the challenge is designed to encourage confidence in participants who may otherwise lack the skills, knowledge and self-efficacy to make lifestyle changes and to engender adoption of healthy lifestyle habits. Individual lifestyle changes begun during the challenge in turn affect families and communities thus promoting healthy environments supportive of obesity prevention.   Recent literature has found promise in the use of internet-based technology to disseminate and provide support for individuals seeking to lose or maintain weight. The Holiday Challenge was constructed to provide resources, information and social support via the internet to individuals wanting to maintain their weight.

Evaluation Methods and Results: Demographic, attitudinal and self-reported anthropometric data was collected during online signup, and pre- and post-survey questionnaires. Beginning November 23, 2009 information and support was delivered via e-Newsletter, the Holiday Challenge website, the Holiday Challenge Blog, Facebook and Twitter over the six weeks of the program. This information contained tips, strategies, tools and recipes to help participants maintain their weight. Social support was provided via blogs where participant bloggers wrote about their experiences and participants were able to support one another through blog comments. Additional support was provided through Facebook and Twitter where quick, easy to follow tips were given daily. Of the 5,270 participants, 72.7% were women aged 25-54, 49% have one or more children living in the home, 70.5% were overweight or obese per calculated BMI. Eighty-two percent maintained their weight during the program; of those who did not maintain, 64% reported losing weight. Participants commented and posted on 10 out of 24 total blog posts. In total, 17 comments were posted during the six-week challenge. Almost all participants said they would continue to use the strategies learned during the challenge. Participants reported confidence in continuing to maintain or lose weight using tips provided during the challenge.

Conclusions: Most participants reported being “Fairly Confident” or “Very Confident” that they would be able to maintain or continue to lose weight using the tips and tools provided during the Holiday Challenge. Participants reported they felt the blogs were a “great motivation” after reading the e-Newsletters and tips. Other participants reported enjoying the feeling of being on a team even though the Challenge was an individual activity. By maintaining their weight, individuals can prevent yearly weight gain and halt a rise in overweight and obesity. Lifestyle changes begun during the Holiday Challenge will support lifelong healthy behaviors to decrease overweight and obesity in North Carolina.

Implications for research and/or practice: Social support via new/emerging technology (email, blogs) supports behavior change.