Helpmedoit!: a web, app and text based intervention.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
‘Helpmedoit!’ a web, app and text based intervention to facilitate social support to achieve and maintain health related change in physical activity and dietary behaviour.
IRAS ID
161623
Contact name
Sharon A Simpson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN85615983
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The internet and social media can be effective in influencing behaviour, and can reach many people. Previous research shows that setting goals, making plans and monitoring how well you are doing is important for behaviour change. The support of family, friends and others is also crucial. Helpmedoit! will be a website and app that will help people set behaviour change goals and sign up friends or family as ‘helpers’. The programme will allow monitoring of progress and celebration of goals achieved.
The study will be completed in two stages. In stage 1, a panel will be recruited including ten members of the public, IT and behaviour change experts. They will work together to develop the intervention and ensure it is usable and acceptable. The website and texting will be tested by members of the public and focus groups and interviews will be completed. An independent steering group will review the findings from this stage and decide whether to agree progress to stage 2.
In stage 2, if the service seems promising it will be tested in a group of 120 obese adults. We will recruit participants from primary care and the community. This second stage will assess whether the intervention has any impact on people’s diet and physical activity as well as their weight. Participants will be randomly put into two groups. The intervention group will complete the Helpmedoit! intervention for 6 months and the control group will receive a leaflet on healthy diet and physical activity. At baseline and 12 month follow-up physical activity, diet, height, weight, waist circumference, quality of life, social support, self efficacy, motivation, mental health, NHS resource use and participant borne costs will be assessed. At 12 months we will also assess self esteem, blood pressure and cholesterol. Participants and helpers will be interviewed about their experiences.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
15/WS/0045
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion