Virtual Behavioral Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: A Feasibility RCT during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: the COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on human health, affecting many lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, sedentary behavior, dietary habits and sleep. Purpose: to assess the feasibility of six sessions of a virtual behavioral intervention to promote healthy lifestyle practices during a stay-at-home advisory phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A participant-blinded randomized controlled trial was performed through a virtual platform setting. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups. They were assigned to a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention or attention group, with pre- and postintervention assessments. The MI treatment consisted of six sessions (twice each week). The same number of virtual structured sessions were provided for the attention group, and they provided brief advice to promote healthy lifestyles. The study was conducted from April to June 2020. Results: The feasibility outcomes indicated that 39 of the 50 participants (78%) completed the trial. The dropout rate was 21.7% for the attention group and 22.2% for the intervention group. Participating in MI had a significant positive interventional effect on physical activity level, distress and fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: It is feasible to deliver behavioral change interventions virtually. Further, MI can be used as a useful strategy for the favorable promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Trial registration: NCT05392218 (26/05/2022).