Living in the so-called “information age” has produced an environment where it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the media, technology, and data that is available. Because of this, it has become increasingly difficult to find the time to decompress as it seems like we are always having to remain engaged and respond through either email, social media, texting and yes, even the phone. The end result, it has become increasingly easy to feel overwhelmed and “stressed-out”.

A recently published study that was presented in Philadelphia at the Population Health and Care Coordination Colloquium shows that behavior change programs known as computer-tailored intervention (CTI) programs offer real, measurable results for average participants in targeted areas such as stress management and exercise dedication.

In addition to gains in these areas, researchers found that participants made major strides in other aspects of well-being including healthy behaviors, life evaluation and improving health, both mentally and physically.

CTI Programs and the Transtheoretical Model

CTI programs have their name because they’re specifically tailored to change certain behaviors in those who use them. The CTI programs used in the study applied a method of behavior change known as the Transtheoretical Model, or TTM. In short, TTM is designed to detect whether an individual is ready to adopt a healthy behavior. Based on this indication, TTM provides strategies the individual can use to make the healthy behavior a permanent fixture of his or her life. A number of previous studies have determined that CTI programs, including those that implement TTM, are extremely effective tools for behavioral change.

The Nature of the Study

The study presented recently at the Population Health and Care Coordination Colloquium involved 3,391 participants, all of whom were recruited online by a survey sampling company. All of the participants selected for the study reported difficulty in the areas of stress management and exercise. The study was conducted by Pro-Change Behavior Systems with the assistance of Healthways Inc.’s Center for Health Research.

The study participants were divided into three groups: a web-based program group, a telephonic coaching group and a control group. All groups targeted exercise as the primary behavior and stress management as the secondary behavior, classifications important to CTI programs. The control group did not receive any sort of structured intervention, allowing the researchers to gauge the effectiveness of CTI programs.

Individuals in the telephonic coaching group received professional coaching sessions over the phone. The sessions were performed at the beginning of the study, after 3 months and again after 6 months, with each session lasting approximately 20 minutes.

Individuals within the web-based program group engaged in online intervention sessions that were self-guided despite being designed by professional self-improvement coaches. In addition, participants in both groups were given assessment questions as well as feedback specifically tailored to their unique answers, a core concept of the TTM approach.

Excellent Results for Telephonic Coaching and Web-Based Groups

Those in the telephonic coaching group experienced success rates of 74.9% for stress management and 57.3% for exercise. Meanwhile, those in the web-based program group were just slightly less impacted with success rates of 64.7% for stress management and 46.6% for exercise. Meanwhile, those in the control group experienced much lower success rates that were not included in the press release from Healthways, Inc.

The study results indicate that telephonic CTI programs are somewhat more effective than web-based CTI programs, which may indicate that the coaching offered by a live individual is superior to the coaching offered by tailored interactive online programs. More importantly, they show that CTI programs are far more effective for behavioral change than leaving the individual to his or her own devices.

Lower Healthcare Costs, Improved Health and Well-Being

Dr. James Pope, chief science officer and vice president of Healthways, Inc., said that his company’s study adds to an existing body of evidence showing that cost-effective CTI programs can be used to improve the mental and physical health and well-being of general populations while universally lowering healthcare costs.

Dr. Pope said that he and his team of researchers selected stress management and exercise as prioritized intervention topics because they relate to so many aspects of overall well-being. In other words, Pope and his team believed that gains in these two areas could lead to gains in several other areas, including increased productivity, decreased pain, improved sleep and a lower risk of depression in relation to stress management, as well as higher energy, improved self-esteem, increased productivity and reduced depression risk in relation to exercise.

Behavior Change Programs: The Bottom Line

A recent study indicates that computer-tailored intervention (CTI) programs based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) are effective tools for behavioral change, particularly in the areas of exercise and stress management. Researchers found that gains in these areas resulted in improvement in other aspects of well-being, including physical and mental health.