Incorporating Prototyping and Iteration Into Intervention Development: A Case Study of a Dining Hall–Based Intervention
Arianna D. McClain, Eric B. Hekler, Christopher D. Gardner · Journal of American College Health · 2012
BACKGROUND: Previous research from the fields of computer science and engineering highlight the importance of an iterative design process (IDP) to create more creative and effective solutions. OBJECTIVE: This study describes IDP as a new method for developing health behavior interventions and evaluates the effectiveness of a dining hall-based intervention developed using IDP on college students' eating behavior and values. PARTICIPANTS: participants were 458 students (52.6% female, age = 19.6 ± 1.5 years [M ± SD]). METHODS: The intervention was developed via an IDP parallel process. A cluster-randomized controlled study compared differences in eating behavior among students in 4 university dining halls (2 intervention, 2 control). RESULTS: The final intervention was a multicomponent, point-of-selection marketing campaign. Students in the intervention dining halls consumed significantly less junk food and high-fat meat and increased their perceived importance of eating a healthful diet relative to the control group. CONCLUSION: IDP may be valuable for the development of behavior change interventions.