Computer-tailored interventions for promoting physical activity and healthy eating: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

This article reviews scientific literature on computer-tailored interventions for adults that targeted physical activity and healthy eating. Systematic literature searches were performed using MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, SPORTDiscus, and the Cochrane Library. Articles that were published in scientific journals were included if they evaluated an intervention for physical activity and healthy eating, or focused on weight loss, and used a randomized design. Thirty-eight articles were identified. Twenty-one (physical activity, 55%) and 22 (food intake, 57.9%) of the 38 studies showed that computer-tailored interventions were more effective than the control. Implications of inconsistency in results and future directions for research are discussed.

Keywords

• physical activity
• healthy eating
• computer tailoring
• systematic review