Matched self-help materials moved more workers up a stage than standard ones

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   1,559 employees at 11 factory sites took part. Only 903 filled in forms at the start and at three months. Their average age was about 41.

2. 02

   What they did

   Both groups were mailed printed booklets early on, again one month later, and all five booklets at three months. The tailored group's booklets matched each person's stage of readiness to get active. The standard group got five American Heart Association booklets on walking, swimming, cycling, dancing and running.

3. 03

   What happened

   At three months, 37 in 100 tailored workers had moved up a stage, against 27 in 100 standard workers. Exercise minutes each week did not differ between the groups overall. The paper's summary says the tailored group's exercise time rose more, but its results don't show that.

What the study found

1. HelpedMotivation

   Workers given materials matched to their readiness moved up a stage more often: 37 in 100, against 27 in 100.

   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested

   Randomised trial of 903 factory employees at 11 workplaces · vs workers who got the standard booklets · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

2. No differenceGoals

   Exercise minutes each week did not differ between the two groups.

   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested

   Randomised trial of 903 factory employees at 11 workplaces · vs workers who got the standard booklets · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

Source