Although smartphone apps might support physical activity (PA), engagement with them tends to be low.
This study aimed to examine potential users' needs and preferences regarding their engagement with ...PA apps during a first exposure to a never-used PA app and after 2 weeks' usage.
A longitudinal, one-arm qualitative study was conducted with potential PA app users. At baseline, participants (N=20) were asked to explore 1 of 3 randomly allocated PA apps while thinking aloud. Semistructured interview techniques allowed participants to elaborate on their statements. After 2 weeks, follow-up interviews explored participants' (n=17) lived experiences of real-world app use. Verbal reports from both time points were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
Features that promote a fair and simple user experience, support users' self-regulation skills, and address users' exercise motives were considered important for engagement both during a first exposure and after a 2-week use of PA apps. Features that support users' need for relatedness as well as those that facilitate users to implement their intentions were expected to be important for engagement mainly during a first exposure to PA apps. Proactive and tailored features that integrate behavioral, psychological, and contextual information to provide adaptive exercise plans and just-in-time support were considered relevant to sustain engagement over time.
App features that address users' exercise motives, promote self-regulation, and fulfill users' need for relatedness might promote engagement with PA apps. Tailored and proactive features were expected to promote sustained engagement.
Background
More than 34 million people are presently living with HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help these people to live longer, healthier lives, but adherence to ART can be ...difficult. Mobile phone text‐messaging has the potential to help promote adherence in these patients.
Objectives
To determine whether mobile phone text‐messaging is efficacious in enhancing adherence to ART in patients with HIV infection.
Search methods
Using the Cochrane Collaboration's validated search strategies for identifying randomised controlled trials and reports of HIV interventions, along with appropriate keywords and MeSH terms, we searched a range of electronic databases, including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, Literatura Latino‐Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), MEDLINE (via PubMed), PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Index Medicus. The date range was from 01 January 1980 to 01 November 2011. There were no limits to language or publication status.
Selection criteria
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which patients or their caregivers (in the case of infants and children) of any age, in any setting, and receiving ART were provided with mobile phone text messages as a means of promoting adherence to ART.
Data collection and analysis
Two authors independently examined the s of all identified trials. We initially identified 243 references. Seventeen full‐text articles were closely reviewed. Both authors ed data independently, using a pre‐designed, standardised data collection form. When appropriate, data were combined in meta‐analysis.
Main results
Two RCTs from Kenya were included in the review. One trial compared short weekly text messages against standard care. The other trial compared short daily, long daily, short weekly and long weekly messages against standard care. Both trials were with adult patients.
In the trial comparing only short weekly messages to standard care, text messaging was associated with a lower risk of non‐adherence at 12 months (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.93) and with the non‐occurrence of virologic failure at 12 months (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.99).
In the trial that compared different intervals and lengths for text‐messaging to standard care, long weekly text‐messaging was not significantly associated with a lower risk of non‐adherence compared to standard care (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.04). Patients receiving weekly text‐messages of any length were at lower risk of non‐adherence at 48 weeks than were patients receiving daily messages of any length (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.99). There were no significant differences between weekly text‐messaging of any length (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.37) and between short or long messaging at either interval (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.27). Compared to standard care, any daily text‐messaging, whether short or long, did not reduce the risk for non‐adherence (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.20).
In meta‐analysis of both trials, any weekly text‐messaging (i.e. whether short or long messages) was associated with a lower risk of non‐adherence at 48‐52 weeks (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.89). The effect of short weekly text‐messaging was also significant (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.89).
Authors' conclusions
There is high‐quality evidence from the two RCTs that mobile phone text‐messaging at weekly intervals is efficacious in enhancing adherence to ART, compared to standard care. There is high quality evidence from one trial that weekly mobile phone text‐messaging is efficacious in improving HIV viral load suppression. Policy‐makers should consider funding programs proposing to provide weekly mobile phone text‐messaging as a means for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Clinics and hospitals should consider implementing such programs. There is a need for large RCTs of this intervention in adolescent populations, as well as in high‐income countries.
This book aims to unite theory and practice in the field of destination marketing. It attempts to reconcile the gap between the academic literature on urban destination marketing and the manner in ...which it is actually undertaken by destination marketing organisations (DMOs). While analysing and critically assessing the current destination marketing paradigm, the author outlines the basis for a paradigm change. The new theory accommodates the anomalies and counter-instances associated with the existing paradigm and addresses the question of what in the future might best underpin urban DMO marketing operations. The book contains 21 in-depth interviews with senior DMO executives to allow practitioners to describe in their own words how they conduct their destination marketing activities.
Background A third of the world's population does not engage in recommended levels of physical activity (PA), leading to substantial health and economic burdens. The healthcare sector offers a ...variety of resources that can help counsel, refer and deliver PA promotion programmes for purposes of primordial, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Substantial evidence already exists in support of multipronged PA counselling, prescription and referral strategies, in particular those linking healthcare and community-based resources. Methods The Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative was introduced in 2007 to advance the implementation of evidence-based strategies to elevate the status of PA in healthcare. In this article, we describe the evolution and global expansion of the EIM initiative, its components, their implementation, an evaluation framework and future initiative activities. Results Until now, EIM has a presence in 39 countries with EIM Regional Centers established in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Australasia. The EIM Global Health Initiative is transitioning from its initial phase of infrastructure and awareness building to a phase of programme implementation, with an emphasis in low-to-middle income countries, where 80% of deaths due to non-communicable diseases already occur, but where a large gap in research and implementation of PA strategies exists. Conclusions Broad implementation of PA counselling and referral systems, as clinical practice standard of care, has the potential to improve PA at the population level by complementing and leveraging other efforts and to contribute to achieving global targets for the reduction of inactivity and related morbidity and mortality.
As a key marketing tool, online sales promotion has been widely used by online retailers to increase sales of products and brands. Most previous researches on online sales promotion have ignored the ...effect of consumers' psychological factors and the heterogeneity of product and consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of psychological distance and involvement on consumers' buying behavior in large online promotion activities. The research model was examined using empirical analysis of data obtained from consumer surveys after the Double 11 promotion. Our results indicate that temporal distance has positive impact on purchase decision of high involvement products, while having negative impact on purchase decision of low involvement products. Social distance has negative impact on consumers' purchase decision. Temporal distance is positively associated with consumers' purchase-decision involvement, and then purchase-decision involvement positively impacts consumers' total consumption. Social distance has no impact on consumers' purchase decision involvement. These findings not only advance the understanding of the role of psychological distance and involvement in online sales promotion but also offer implications regarding strategies that online retailers can employ to publish their promotions at different times and encourage consumers more to share promotional information among their friends.
A key driver for promoting physical activity is reducing the global burden of noncommunicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. These diseases are responsible for ...more than 41 million deaths annually, of which a third occur before the age of 70 years. Physical activity has multiple positive impacts on noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer, as well as numerous social and economic benefits including reduced use of fossil fuels, cleaner air and less congested, safer roads. All these effects are closely linked to several sustainable development goals. However, policy actions have been insufficient and uneven, and government strategies to increase physical activity have not consistently increased the proportion of the adult population meeting recommended levels of activity. Without significant scaling of efforts at local, regional, national and international levels, the global targets for physical activity are unlikely to be achieved.
The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic presented many sudden challenges regarding food, including grocery shopping changes (eg, reduced store hours, capacity restrictions, and empty store shelves due ...to food hoarding), restaurant closures, the need to cook more at home, and closures of food access programs. Eat Well Saskatchewan (EWS) implemented a 16-week social media campaign, #eatwellcovid19, led by a dietitian and nutrition student that focused on sharing stories submitted by the Saskatchewan public about how they were eating healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal of this study was to describe the implementation of the #eatwellcovid19 social media campaign and the results from the evaluation of the campaign, which included campaign performance using social media metrics and experiences and perspectives of campaign followers.
Residents of Saskatchewan, Canada, were invited to submit personal stories and experiences to EWS about how they were eating healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic from April to August 2020. Each week, one to three stories were featured on EWS social media platforms-Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter-along with evidence-based nutrition information to help residents become more resilient to challenges related to food and nutrition experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who submitted stories were entered into a weekly draw for a Can $100 grocery gift card. Social media metrics and semistructured qualitative interviews of campaign followers were used to evaluate the #eatwellcovid19 campaign.
In total, 75 stories were submitted by 74 individuals on a variety of topics (eg, grocery shopping, traditional skills, and gardening), and 42 stories were featured on social media. EWS shared 194 #eatwellcovid19 posts across social media platforms (Facebook: n=100; Instagram: n=55; and Twitter: n=39). On Facebook, #eatawellcovid19 reached 100,571 followers and left 128,818 impressions, resulting in 9575 engagements. On Instagram, the campaign reached 11,310 followers, made 14,145 impressions, and received 823 likes and 15 comments. On Twitter, #eatwellcovid19 made 15,199 impressions and received 424 engagements. Featured story submission posts had the best engagement on Facebook and the most likes and comments on Instagram. The EWS social media pages reported increases in their following during the campaign (Instagram: +30%; Facebook: +14%; and Twitter: +12%). Results from the interviews revealed that there were two types of campaign followers: those who appreciated hearing the stories submitted by followers, as it helped them to feel connected to the community during social isolation, and those who appreciated the evidence-based information.
Numerous stories were submitted to the #eatwellcovid19 social media campaign on various topics. On Instagram and Facebook, posts that featured these stories had the highest engagement. During this campaign, EWS's social media following increased by more than 10% on each platform. The approach used for the #eatwellcovid19 campaign could be considered by others looking to develop health promotion campaigns.
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