Internet Campaigns Can Help People Live Healthier

Many diet programs and lifestyle interventions aimed at losing weight fail to achieve long-lasting results for various reasons. These reasons include programs having unrealistic goals, participants lacking in patience and perseverance, programs that are too restrictive, low levels of motivation, and more. Furthermore, many diet programs focus on eating certain foods, eliminating specific food groups, consuming a certain number of calories, using products that are expensive, or eating stuff (such as meal replacement shakes) that one would not ordinarily include in a normal diet. The result is that many people drop out of their weight-loss programs even before significant improvement is achieved, or perhaps, they are later disappointed to find out that the weight just comes back.

In contrast to people who seriously want to lose weight, there are those who just want to improve or maintain their health by living a healthy lifestyle. However, in many cases, people do get off track, especially when stressed or when temptations are too great. The result is an increase in unwanted pounds and inches, which sometimes become difficult to get rid of. 

Project YEAH

A team of researchers recently published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, the results of Project YEAH (Young Adults Eating and Active for Health), a non-diet approach, which aimed to encourage young people to live healthier lives. The randomized controlled trial involved more than 1,600 college students, ages 18 to 24, from different universities.

The study, which lasted for 15 months, evaluated the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention that was developed from research using community-based participation. Targeted lifestyle intervention was delivered through an internet campaign, using short email messages (which they called nudges) and mini-educational lessons. The campaign did not emphasize weight loss, but instead, focused on healthy eating behaviors, physical activity, weight management, and stress management. Participants were divided into two groups – students who received lessons and nudges during a 10-week intensive intervention and those that did not get any intervention. All participants were followed up after 12 months.

The researchers compared baseline data and results of the intervention based on primary outcomes that included body mass index (BMI), body weight, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and stress levels. They also considered secondary outcomes such as waist circumference, reported intake of dietary fat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and whole grains, self-instruction, regulation of mealtime behaviors, amount of sleep, readiness for consuming more fruits and vegetables, ability to complete 150 minutes of weekly exercise, and daily management of stress. Results were then compared to those from the group that did not receive intervention.

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They also noted that many participants moved from a “contemplative stage” to “action/maintenance stage,” showing that they were already doing healthy behaviors which they used to just think about doing before the intervention. Although there were no significant differences in BMI or weight change between participants of the experimental and control groups, their findings showed that the intervention supported positive changes in behaviors that may impact excessive weight gain. The researchers believe that additional strategies to maintain healthy behavior changes need to be considered.

How Web-Based Health Campaigns Can Be Used as Effective Tools

The past few years have shown how many people obtain health information through the Internet. Surveys reveal that approximately one-third of adults access health information through social media, and nearly 80% of physicians who go online use social media channels to produce, consume, and share medical information. Lay people who look for health information online read blogs, create blogs, and use social networking sites and status update services.

Public health specialists believe that social media or web-based health campaigns have a great potential as effective tools in promoting health. Social media, which consist of networking web sites like Facebook and Twitter, blogs, e-mail and video-sharing have been around only a few years, but their impact in educating people of all ages is remarkable. This is why many public health organizations use social media to circulate health information, counter rumors or correct misconceptions.  Some of the important health organizations that use internet-based health campaigns are the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), several universities, hospitals, and other institutions. Social media allows health experts, scientists, and researchers to disseminate information quickly and at a wider scale than any other medium.

Experts warn, however, that inasmuch as the internet can be a rich source of information, it can also be used to spread wrong or harmful information, which can easily spread. It is therefore important for readers to check their sources of information, whether it is shared by a friend, coming from a company that is promoting or selling a product, or published by a public health agency. To search for useful information and tips regarding health, for instance, it is advisable to visit reliable websites, which offer information based on published research that has been reviewed by experts.

For example, the CDC offers the 5 A Day for Better Health, a campaign to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables for health. The website also has a page, Healthy Weight - it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle! which contains links  on how to assess your body weight, how to lose weight, and how to prevent weight gain. On the other hand, the WHO invites people to join its WHO Nutrition Mailing List to receive information on vitamins and minerals. Aside from nutrition campaigns, many reliable websites promote physical activity, quit smoking campaigns, and other health-related advocacies.

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Researchers, public health specialists, and other health advocates can help young people live healthier through effective use of web-based campaigns. Regular use of social media campaigns can help people use information by encouraging them to modify certain behaviors that affect health. Finally, experts found that compared to traditional methods of surveillance, social media can be more efficient in gauging public opinion and sentiment as well as measuring action indicators such as self-reported behavior changes. For example, platforms such as Twitter have made it easier for people to report changes in their behaviors or health status. These advantages can help not only in the line of better communication, but in facilitating research as well.