McCully Scout N, Don Brian P, Updegraff John A
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
J Med Internet Res. 2013 Aug 1;15(8):e148. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2612.
The Internet offers a viable platform for cost-effective and wide-reaching health interventions. However, little is known about use of the Internet to help with diet, weight, and physical activity (DWPA) using a nationally representative sample from the United States.
To (1) assess the demographic characteristics of people who use the Internet to help with DWPA, (2) assess whether usage trends changed over time, and (3) investigate the associations between using the Internet for DWPA and health behaviors.
Data on Internet users from the 2007 and 2011 iterations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), N=4827 were analyzed using multiple logistic regression to determine the demographic correlates of using the Internet for help with DWPA. Multiple linear regression was used to test the associations between Internet use for DWPA and three health behaviors: fruit intake, vegetable intake, and physical activity.
A larger percentage of Internet users used the Internet for DWPA in 2011 (42.83%) than in 2007 (40.43%). In general, Internet users who were younger (OR 0.98, P<.001), more educated (OR 1.40, P<.001), married (OR 1.06, P=.03), of a minority race (non-Hispanic blacks: OR 1.14, P=.02; Hispanics: OR 1.42, P=.01), and who had a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (OR 1.04, P<.001) were more likely to use the Internet for DWPA. Across survey years, gender was not associated with using the Internet for DWPA (OR 1.03, P=.12), but there was a significant interaction between survey year and gender (OR 1.95, P=.002); in 2007, men were more likely to use the Internet for DWPA, but women were more likely to do so in 2011. Using the Internet for DWPA was associated with more vegetable intake (B=.22, P=.002), more fruit intake (B=.19, P=.001), and more moderate exercise (B=.25, P=.001), although the strength of the associations between using the Internet for DWPA and fruit intake and exercise was weaker in 2011 than in 2007.
Contrary to prior research, our population-level study did not show a pronounced gender difference in the use of the Internet for DWPA. Our results support the increasing viability of the Internet as a platform for behavior change intervention, as a growing percentage of Internet users are turning to the Internet for help with DWPA. Additionally, using the Internet for DWPA is associated with better DWPA-related health behaviors.
互联网为具有成本效益且覆盖范围广泛的健康干预提供了一个可行的平台。然而，对于如何利用互联网在美国具有全国代表性的样本中帮助改善饮食、体重和身体活动（DWPA），人们知之甚少。
（1）评估利用互联网帮助改善DWPA人群的人口统计学特征；（2）评估使用趋势是否随时间变化；（3）调查利用互联网改善DWPA与健康行为之间的关联。
对来自健康信息全国趋势调查（HINTS）2007年和2011年版本的互联网用户数据（N = 4827）进行分析，使用多重逻辑回归来确定利用互联网帮助改善DWPA的人口统计学相关因素。使用多重线性回归来测试利用互联网改善DWPA与三种健康行为之间的关联：水果摄入量、蔬菜摄入量和身体活动。
2011年（42.83%）利用互联网帮助改善DWPA的互联网用户比例高于2007年（40.43%）。总体而言，年龄较小（OR = 0.98，P <.001）、受教育程度较高（OR = 1.40，P <.001）、已婚（OR = 1.06，P =.03）、属于少数族裔（非西班牙裔黑人：OR = 1.14，P =.02；西班牙裔：OR = 1.42，P =.01）以及体重指数（BMI）较高（OR = 1.04，P <.001）的互联网用户更有可能利用互联网帮助改善DWPA。在不同调查年份中，性别与利用互联网帮助改善DWPA无关（OR = 1.03，P =.12），但调查年份与性别之间存在显著交互作用（OR = 1.95，P =.002）；在2007年，男性更有可能利用互联网帮助改善DWPA，但在2011年女性更有可能这样做。利用互联网帮助改善DWPA与更多的蔬菜摄入量（B =.22，P =.002）、更多的水果摄入量（B =.19，P =.001）以及更多的适度运动（B =.25，P =.001）相关，尽管2011年利用互联网帮助改善DWPA与水果摄入量和运动之间的关联强度比2007年弱。
与先前的研究相反，我们的人群水平研究并未显示在利用互联网帮助改善DWPA方面存在明显的性别差异。我们的结果支持互联网作为行为改变干预平台的可行性日益增加，因为越来越多的互联网用户转向互联网寻求帮助来改善DWPA。此外，利用互联网帮助改善DWPA与更好的与DWPA相关的健康行为有关。
