Dept of General Internal Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
J Phys Act Health. 2010 Jul;7(4):517-26. doi: 10.1123/jpah.7.4.517.
A better understanding of identifying tailoring variables would improve message design. Tailoring to a behavior that a participant selects as one they would like to work on may increase message relevance, and thus effectiveness. This trial compared 3 groups: message tailored to physical activity as a participant-selected topic (choice), message tailored to physical activity as an expert-determined topic (expert), or nontailored message (comparison).
408 female college students received web-delivered computer-tailored messages on physical activity. Outcomes were immediate and 1-month follow-up changes in psychosocial, goal-related, and behavioral variables related to physical activity.
Participants were predominately non-Hispanic White (73.8%). Change in self-efficacy and goal commitment at immediate follow-up and vigorous physical activity at 1-month follow-up was greater in the expert versus comparison group. Change in goal commitment at immediate follow-up was lower in the choice versus expert group. In the expert group, those choosing physical activity as their selected topic perceived the goal to be easier at immediate follow-up compared with those receiving unmatched messages.
Findings supported tailoring to an expert-determined topic. However, based on the beneficial change in perceived goal difficulty when topics matched, future research should encourage synchrony between participant-selected topics and expert recommendations.
更好地了解识别定制变量的方法可以提高信息设计的效果。针对参与者选择的行为进行定制，可能会增加信息的相关性，从而提高信息的有效性。本试验比较了 3 组：根据参与者选择的主题（选择）或专家确定的主题（专家）对体育活动进行信息定制，或不进行信息定制（对照）。
408 名女性大学生通过网络收到了有关体育活动的计算机定制信息。结果是参与者在心理社会、目标相关以及与体育活动相关的行为变量方面的即时和 1 个月随访变化。
参与者主要是非西班牙裔白人（73.8%）。在即时随访时，自我效能感和目标承诺的变化以及 1 个月随访时的剧烈身体活动的变化在专家组与对照组之间更大。在即时随访时，选择组的目标承诺变化低于专家组。在专家组中，与接受不匹配信息的人相比，选择体育活动作为其选定主题的人在即时随访时认为目标更容易实现。
研究结果支持针对专家确定的主题进行定制。但是，基于当主题匹配时感知目标难度的有益变化，未来的研究应该鼓励参与者选择的主题和专家建议之间的同步性。
