Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29643048›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2018

Exploring the Role of In-Person Components for Online Health Behavior Change Interventions: Can a Digital Person-to-Person Component Suffice?

Sara Santarossa, Deborah Kane, Charlene Y Senn, Sarah J Woodruff

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 107 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
107citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

107 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. Yoga for fatigue in people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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  4. Digital versus nondigital behavioral interventions on cardiovascular risk reduction: systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025
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  14. The IDEABMC women's health · 2026
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47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sara SantarossaDepartment of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3038-4976
Deborah KaneFaculty of Nursing, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9727-8126
Charlene Y SennDepartment of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3463-5704
Sarah J WoodruffDepartment of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-8199-2982

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The growth of the digital environment provides tremendous opportunities to revolutionize health behavior change efforts. This paper explores the use of Web-based, mobile, and social media health behavior change interventions and determines whether there is a need for a face-to-face or an in-person component. It is further argued that that although in-person components can be beneficial for online interventions, a digital person-to-person component can foster similar results while dealing with challenges faced by traditional intervention approaches. Using a digital person-to-person component is rooted in social and behavioral theories such as the theory of reasoned action, and the social cognitive theory, and further justified by the human support constructs of the model of supportive accountability. Overall, face-to-face and online behavior change interventions have their respective advantages and disadvantages and functions, yet both serve important roles. It appears that it is in fact human support that is the most important component in the effectiveness and adherence of both face-to-face and online behavior change interventions, and thoughtfully introducing a digital person-to-person component, to replace face-to-face interactions, can provide the needed human support while diminishing the barriers of in-person meetings. The digital person-to-person component must create accountability, generate opportunities for tailored feedback, and create social support to successfully create health behavior change. As the popularity of the online world grows, and the interest in using the digital environment for health behavior change interventions continues to be embraced, further research into not only the use of online interventions, but the use of a digital person-to-person component, must be explored.

Indexed as

Social SupportEducation, DistanceHealth BehaviorHumansSocial Mediabehavior changedigital person-to-personhealth carehealth, digital mediain-persononline intervention

Identifiers

PMID29643048
PMCPMC5917076

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.