Web-based Interventions Among Adults: Relevance to Anthropometric Indicators
_________________________________
Reimund C. Serafica, PhD, RN
Tricia K. Gatlin, PhD, RN
Abstract
Purpose: Web-based interventions offer low cost and practical strategies to promote self-care for adult individuals with various health conditions and status issues around the globe. The purpose of this review was to summarize the current recent literature in examining the effectiveness of web-based interventions to promote healthy lifestyles related to anthropometric measurements in adult individuals with various health conditions and status.
Design: A systematic review of literature was conducted. Search of the literature was employed to web-based intervention studies in refereed journals written in the English language. The databases searched were PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, with a search period of 2004–2014. In addition to these databases, a manual search was also used. Methods: All studies were examined by three reviewers for eligibility using the Jadad scoring system. Thirteen randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies (n=13) met criteria in this review and revealed significant associations between the utilization of web-based health promotion interventions on anthropometric measurements in adult populations with health related conditions.
Findings: Seven studies reported overall positive changes in the participants’ anthropometric measurements at the completion of each study. Four out of seven studies reported that adult participants’ in the intervention groups had greater weight loss as compared to the control groups. In addition, one study out of the seven studies reported a larger reduction in BMI of the participants in the intervention group. Two studies out of 13 studies reported positive changes in BMI, waist circumference, body fat, and waist-hip-ratio in the control groups.
Conclusions: The outcomes from this review may prove useful information of effectiveness of web-based interventions relative to physiological outcomes such as anthropometric measurements. These programs can inform transformative practice and improvement of global health.
_________________________________
About the Authors
Dr. Reimund C. Serafica (first and corresponding author) received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina and obtained his PhD in Nursing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). His research interests are dietary acculturation and practices among first generation immigrants in United States and emerging topics in nursing education. He is a Filipino descent.
Dr. Tricia K. Gatlin received her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Memphis in Tennessee and her graduate degree from the University of Portland in Oregon. She obtained her PhD in Nursing from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Her research interests are social supports to enhance self-management for those with diabetes.