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A Behavior Change Model for Internet Interventions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

The Internet has become a major component to health care and has important implications for the future of the health care system. One of the most notable aspects of the Web is its ability to provide efficient, interactive, and tailored content to the user. Given the wide reach and extensive capabilities of the Internet, researchers in behavioral medicine have been using it to develop and deliver interactive and comprehensive treatment programs with the ultimate goal of impacting patient behavior and reducing unwanted symptoms. To date, however, many of these interventions have not been grounded in theory or developed from behavior change models, and no overarching model to explain behavior change in Internet interventions has yet been published.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to propose a model to help guide future Internet intervention development and predict and explain behavior changes and symptom improvement produced by Internet interventions.

Results

The model purports that effective Internet interventions produce (and maintain) behavior change and symptom improvement via nine nonlinear steps: the user, influenced by environmental factors, affects website use and adherence, which is influenced by support and website characteristics. Website use leads to behavior change and symptom improvement through various mechanisms of change. The improvements are sustained via treatment maintenance.

Conclusion

By grounding Internet intervention research within a scientific framework, developers can plan feasible, informed, and testable Internet interventions, and this form of treatment will become more firmly established.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Mental Health Grant R34MH70805 and the National Institute of Child Health and Development Grant RO1HD028160.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, Behavioral Health and Technology, University of Virginia Health System, P.O. Box 801075, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Lee M. Ritterband Ph.D. & Frances P. Thorndike Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, Center for Behavioral Medicine Research, University of Virginia Health System, P.O. Box 801075, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Daniel J. Cox Ph.D. & Linda A. Gonder-Frederick Ph.D.

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, Diabetes Technology, University of Virginia Health System, P.O. Box 801075, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Boris P. Kovatchev Ph.D.

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  1. Lee M. Ritterband Ph.D.
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  2. Frances P. Thorndike Ph.D.
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  3. Daniel J. Cox Ph.D.
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  4. Boris P. Kovatchev Ph.D.
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  5. Linda A. Gonder-Frederick Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Lee M. Ritterband Ph.D..

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Ritterband, L.M., Thorndike, F.P., Cox, D.J. et al. A Behavior Change Model for Internet Interventions. ann. behav. med. 38, 18–27 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-009-9133-4

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