title: Improving diet and physical activity with ALIVE: a worksite randomized trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthy diets and regular physical activity confer many health benefits, but the prevalence of these behaviors is relatively low.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Cost-effective strategies are needed to increase healthy eating and physical activity in the population.
  
  
  METHODS
  An RCT, conducted in 2006, of a 16-week e-mail program offered individually tailored, small-step goals; a personal homepage with tips; educational materials; and tracking and simulation tools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred eighty-seven employees in the administrative offices of a large healthcare organization volunteered to participate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes were self-reported for total physical activity; moderate physical activity (MPA); vigorous physical activity (VPA); walking; sedentary behavior; and intake of fruits and vegetables, saturated and trans fats, and added sugars in the intervention group compared to the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In intent-to-treat analyses (conducted in 2007 and 2008) that set change in nonresponders to the follow-up questionnaire to zero, the intervention group reported increases of 28.0 minutes/week (min/wk) of MPA (SE=7.4, p=0.0002); 12.5 min/wk of VPA (SE=5.7, p=0.03); and 21.5 min/wk of walking (SE=5.5, p=0.0003) relative to the control group. Intake of both saturated and trans fats (grams/day [g/day]) declined (beta=-0.95, SE=0.36, p=0.01; beta=-0.29, SE=0.12, p=0.02, respectively). The consumption of fruits and vegetables increased significantly (p=0.03), and the consumption of added sugars decreased marginally (p=0.08). The largest changes were in participants who did not meet behavioral recommendations at baseline (increase of 55.4 min/wk of MPA and decrease of 1.15 g/day of trans fats, relative to the control group). Differences between the intervention and control groups were still observed 4 months after the intervention ended.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ALIVE is an effective program for achieving significant improvement in diet and physical activity.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT00607009.
authors.affiliation: Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California 94612, USA. bxs@dor.kaiser.org
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sternfeld
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Charles P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Quesenberry
authors.forename: Torin J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Husson
authors.forename: Jean C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Block
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D034742:Electronic Mail; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D017132:Workplace
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose