Process evaluation of an internet-based resource for weight control: use and views of an obese sample.

OBJECTIVE To investigate use and views of a Web site designed for weight control. DESIGN Questionnaire-based evaluation with data collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. SETTING Data were collected as part of a community-based, randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS Subjects (n = 111) were participants of the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial evaluating effectiveness of a Web site designed for weight control in an obese sample. INTERVENTION Participants were asked to use the intervention Web site for weight control over a 12-month period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Participants were asked to report their use and views of the Web site. In addition, use of the Web site was automatically recorded on logging onto the Web site. ANALYSIS Descriptive statistics, factor analysis. RESULTS Fifty-nine participants (53%) reported using the Web site at 6 months, with 32 participants (29%) still using it at 12 months. The average time spent on the Web site per visit was 21.1 minutes (SD = 16.6) at 6 months and 13.6 minutes (SD = 9.3) at 12 months, with an average number of logons of 15.8 (SD = 15.2) over the trial period. In general, satisfaction scores for the Web site were positive. Scores for ability of the resource to encourage positive behavior change for weight control were marginally negative. Social support sections of the Web site were used least and received the lowest satisfaction ratings. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Despite positive satisfaction scores, use of the resource was limited. It is expected that participants' limited ability to use the Internet may have limited the use of the resource and consequently reduced the social support available to participants. Future investigation of the views and use patterns of current users of Internet-based weight loss resources would help inform future development of such tools.