Online Health Communication Programs Succeed When Engaging

Predicting and targeting patient engagement with an Internet-based health program

You already know the value in reaching and engaging your patients. You and your colleagues have probably discussed the matter at length. Did you know that certain groups should be targeted more than others? A recent Journal of Medical Internet Research study found that e-health interventions should specifically target men, young people, immigrant groups, people with less education, and people with weak motivation to pursue healthy endeavors.

Although they have great potential and offer a low-cost way to reach large audiences, online health interventions are generally characterized by low exposure rates. The study authors were thus curious about what demographic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics predict patient engagement with an Internet-based health program.

You likely spend much of your time coaching your patients about initiating or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If patients truly understood how powerful lifestyle choices can be in preventing the big killers like cardiovascular disease and cancer, your job might be quite different. The authors of the current study decided to focus their web intervention on one of the most important lifestyle choices, being physically active. They recruited participants through local television and newspaper articles in the Dutch province of Limburg. At the beginning of the study each participant completed a questionnaire regarding demographics, mode of recruitment, health motivation, and current physical activity levels. Participants were then asked to use the website, which contained information about being healthy and about the benefits of physical activity. It also had a “physical activity check,” which provided tailored feedback to patients whether or not their activity levels met recommendations (being physically active for at least 30 minutes on at least five days of the week). After using the site, they were given an additional questionnaire to assess their cognitive user experience, attitude, and intention. Finally, three months later they were asked to use the physical activity check again.

The authors’ data suggest that you should focus on communicating with men, young people, immigrant groups, people with less education, and people with weak health motivation, as they were less likely to use e-interventions. Women, older people, highly educated people, and health-motivated people, on the other hand, were more likely to use the intervention. Those who expressed positive feelings and experiences on the site used it more, suggesting that enjoyment is important. Consider gathering information about your patients’ interests and attracting their attention with that type of information, instead of via health-related content. You and your colleagues — as well as your patients — will surely reap the rewards.

Source: J Van’t Riet, Crutzen R, De Vries H. 2010. Investigating predictors of visiting, using, and revisiting an online health-communication program: a longitudinal study. Journal of Medical Internet Research 12(3):e37.