The efficacy of the internet for physical activity promotion among university students

INTERVENTION: Participants are stratified by gender and stage of behavior change before being randomly allocated via a computer‐generated randomization sequence (GraphPad Software, Inc.) into one of the three groups by a statistician who was blinded to the intervention assignment. The participants were notified by e‐mail about their randomization allocation. Internet‐based intervention group: Participants are provided with a 20‐session online behaviour change program entitled the Active Living Every Day (ALED) program. This involves read the program materials and to then complete the activities via the Internet at a convenient time and place at a rate of one session per week. A complimentary copy of the ALED workbook is provided with the online course. The program contents are designed for learning the behavior modification skills. Face‐to‐face intervention group: Participants receive the same information as the internet‐based group but in a face‐to‐face class. They take part in weekly hour‐long session for 14 weeks at a university. The discussion class is instructed by a licensed ALED facilitator and is also complemented by the ALED workbook. During the classes, cognitive and behavioral skills for adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle are discussed. Control group: Participants do not take part in any intervention and continue as usual for the duration of the study. Follow up involves sending online IPAQ and Stage of Change questionnaires three and six months after the commencement of the intervention to all participants. CONDITION: Physical activity level of university students ; Not Applicable ; Physical activity PRIMARY OUTCOME: Physical activity levels are assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form at baseline, 3 and 6 months SECONDARY OUTCOME: Stage of change assessed by Stage of Exercise Change Questionnaire at baseline, 3 and 6 months. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Having access to the Internet 2. Being a current full‐time undergraduate student 3. Not having any physical conditions that would severely restrict the ability to be physically active 4. Having a total PA score of less than 3,000 MET·minutes per week, at the low‐ or moderate‐activity category of the guidelines for data processing and analysis of the IPAQ