Aspects of Program Engagement in an Online Physical Activity Intervention and Baseline Predictors of Engagement

Purpose Participant engagement in an online physical activity (PA) intervention is described and baseline factors related to engagement are identified. Design Longitudinal Study Within Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting Online/Internet. Sample Primary care patients (21-70 years). Intervention ActiveGOALS was a 3-month, self-directed online PA intervention (15 total lessons, remote coaching support, and a body-worn step-counter). Measures Engagement was measured across six outcomes related to lesson completion (total number and time to complete), coach contact, and behavior tracking (PA, sedentary). Self-reported baseline factors were examined from seven domains (confidence, environment, health, health care, demographic, lifestyle, and quality of life). Analysis General linear and nonlinear mixed models were used to examine relationships between baseline factors and engagement outcomes within and across all domains. Results Seventy-nine participants were included in the sample (77.2% female; 74.7% white non-Hispanic). Program engagement was high (58.2% completed all lessons; PA was tracked ≥3 times/week for 11.3 ± 4.0 weeks on average). Average time between completed lessons (days) was longer than expected and participants only contacted their coach about 1 of every 3 weeks. Individual predictors related to health, health care, demographics, lifestyle, and quality of life were significantly related to engagement. Conclusion Examining multiple aspects of engagement and a large number of potential predictors of engagement is likely needed to determine facilitators and barriers for high engagement in multi-faceted online intervention programs.