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document
Differences in reach and attrition between Web-based and print-delivered tailored interventions among adults over 50 years of age : clustered randomized trial . BACKGROUND The Internet has the potential to provide large populations with individual health promotion advice at a relatively low cost . Despite the high rates of Internet access , actual reach by Web-based interventions is often disappointingly low , and differences in use between demographic subgroups are present . Furthermore , Web-based interventions often have to deal with high rates of attrition . OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess user characteristics related to participation and attrition when comparing Web-based and print-delivered tailored interventions containing similar content and thereby to provide recommendations in choosing the appropriate delivery mode for a particular target audience . METHODS We studied the distribution of a Web-based and a print-delivered version of the Active Plus intervention in a clustered randomized controlled trial ( RCT ) . Participants were recruited via direct mailing within the participating Municipal Health Council regions and randomized to the printed or Web-based intervention by their region . Based on the answers given in a prior assessment , participants received tailored advice on 3 occasions : ( 1 ) within 2 weeks after the baseline , ( 2 ) 2 months after the baseline , and ( 3 ) within 4 months after the baseline ( based on a second assessment at 3 months ) . The baseline ( printed or Web-based ) results were analyzed using ANOVA and chi-square tests to establish the differences in user characteristics between both intervention groups . We used logistic regression analyses to study the interaction between the user characteristics and the delivery mode in the prediction of dropout rate within the intervention period . RESULTS The printed intervention resulted in a higher participation rate ( 19 % ) than the Web-based intervention ( 12 % ) . Participants of the Web-based intervention were significantly younger ( P < .001 ) , more often men ( P=.01 ) , had a higher body mass index ( BMI ) ( P=.001 ) and a lower intention to be physically active ( P=.03 ) than participants of the printed intervention . The dropout rate was significantly higher in the Web-based intervention group ( 53 % ) compared to the print-delivered intervention ( 39 % , P < .001 ) . A low intention to be physically active was a strong predictor for dropout within both delivery modes ( P < .001 ) . The difference in dropout rate between the Web-based and the printed intervention was not explained by user characteristics . CONCLUSIONS The reach of the same tailored physical activity ( PA ) intervention in a printed or Web-based delivery mode differed between sociodemographic subgroups of participants over 50 years of age . Although the reach of the Web-based intervention is lower , Web-based interventions can be a good channel to reach high-risk populations ( lower PA intention and higher BMI ) . While the dropout rate was significantly higher in the Web-based intervention group , no specific user characteristics explained the difference in dropout rates between the delivery modes . More research is needed to determine what caused the high rate of dropout in the Web-based intervention . TRIAL REGISTRATION Dutch Trial Register ( NTR ) : 2297 : http : //www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp ? TC=2297 ( Archived by WebCite at http : //www.webcitation.org/65TkwoESp ) .
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Intervention_Educational
Web-based and print-delivered tailored interventions
57718
Intervention_Educational
Web-based and print-delivered tailored interventions
57719
Intervention_Educational
Web-based and a print-delivered version of the Active Plus intervention
57720
Intervention_Educational
printed or Web-based intervention
57721
Outcome_Other
reach and attrition between Web-based and print-delivered tailored interventions
57722
Outcome_Other
user characteristics related to participation and attrition
57723
Outcome_Mental
user characteristics
57724
Outcome_Other
dropout rate
57725
Outcome_Mental
higher participation rate
57726
Outcome_Other
dropout rate
57727
Outcome_Mental
intention to be physically active
57728
Outcome_Other
dropout
57729
Outcome_Other
dropout
57730
Outcome_Mental
tailored physical activity ( PA )
57731
Outcome_Other
dropout rate
57732
Outcome_Other
dropout rates
57733
Outcome_Other
rate of dropout
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Participant_Age
adults over 50 years of age