The development and effect of a text message intervention on physical activity and healthy eating behaviors in African American women who are overwight or obese
About four out of five African American (AA) women are overweight or obese and are about 50% more likely to be obese than white women (US DHHS Office of Minority Health, 2020). Physical activity and healthy eating habits can reduce the risk of obesity and related health issues. However, AA women often lack access to culturally appropriate nutrition and physical activity interventions. This quasi-experimental, one-group, pre-and post-intervention study examined the effects of a text-messaging intervention on knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills for physical activity and healthy eating among overweight and obese AA women and the intervention's acceptability. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model guided the development of motivational text messages, focusing on building knowledge, skills, and healthy behaviors. Texts were sent twice daily, five days a week, for eight weeks. Fifty-one participants completed pre-, midpoint, and post-intervention surveys to measure knowledge, motivation, self-efficacy, and behaviors related to physical activity and healthy eating. Results showed significant improvements in physical activity knowledge (pre: M = 4.72, post: M = 5.24, p = .009) and overall nutrition knowledge (pre: M = 45.43, post: M = 51.41, p < .001). The intervention significantly increased physical activity identified regulation (p = .002), though other aspects of motivation did not change significantly. Motivation for healthy eating improved but was not significant, and no major changes were observed in behavioral skills for physical activity. However, motivation for healthy eating significantly predicted changes in healthy eating behaviors (p = .008). Participants rated the text message intervention as highly acceptable, with solid scores for enjoyment (M = 4.12, SD = 0.89) and helpfulness (M = 4.29, SD = 0.81). The study found increased physical activity and improved healthy eating behaviors overall, but there was no significant effect of time on physical activity or eating scores. Obese participants showed more significant increases in knowledge compared to overweight participants. In conclusion, the intervention effectively boosted knowledge and motivation but had a limited impact on behavioral skills. Participants desired more personalized and engaging messages, suggesting that future studies should focus on tailored messaging to enhance long-term behavior change.
Overweight, Physical activity, Healthy eating, Text message, African American women, Obesity
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