The effect of web-based educational intervention on physical activity-related energy expenditure among middle-aged women with overweight and obesity: An application of social cognitive theory

Introduction: Obesity and being overweight are serious health problems worldwide. One of the most effective strategies for controlling and treating obesity is physical activity (PA), which unfortunately is not performed desirably by people. The present study aims to determine the effectiveness of web-based educational intervention based on social cognitive theory (SCT) on physical activity-related energy expenditure among women with overweight and obesity. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 91 middle-aged women with overweight and obesity (47 in the intervention and 44 in the control group). The intervention group received theory-based training through the web. Data were collected by a questionnaire consisting of demographic, SCT constructs and a seven-day standard PA inventory in three stages (before, two-weeks and three-months after training). Data were analyzed by SPSS software v.22. Results: After intervention, the differences between the two groups in terms of SCT constructs were statistically significant as follows: knowledge (P = 0.012), self-regulation (P = 0.001), self-efficacy (P = 0.013), social-support from friends (P = 0.002) and family (P = 0.001) except for the outcome-expectation (P = 0.663). The level of energy expenditure from PA in the intervention group had a significant increase during the study (P = 0.005), while the control group was significantly decreased (P = 0.024). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed the effectiveness of the web and theory-based intervention in increasing awareness, promoting the major constructs of SCT and, finally, improving the PA behavior in women with overweight and obesity. The experience of this study showed that e-learning could be welcomed by these people and encouraged them to engage in PA