Evaluation of an Interactive Web-Based Application to Promote Healthy Behavior in Order to Maintain a Healthy Weight – Preliminary Findings

Web-based interactive applications may combine the interactive and tailored nature of successful behavior change interventions with the wide reach needed to target the general population. There is a lack of insight in the requirements for successful interactive Web-based applications in prevention. The objective of this research is to evaluate the Healthy Weight Assistant (HWA) of the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and give recommendations for optimization of this application. This study consists of questionnaires (n=703, follow-up n=431), real-time usability-tests, log-file analysis and qualitative analysis. From the preliminary results we see that improvement with maximum effect and minimal change of the HWA can be found in motivation to keep using the application and motivation to change behavior. This can be achieved by sending automatic (tailored) reminders, restructuring the second stage in the application (motivation and goal setting) and by adding a tab 'my goals' to the application.