Boost Exercise Compliance by 30% with Rural Phone Counseling

Boosting Fitness in Rural Communities Through Automated Phone Counseling

Exciting new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health has shed light on innovative ways to enhance physical activity among inactive individuals in rural, underserved communities. This research focuses on an automated phone counseling program designed to motivate these individuals to incorporate more exercise into their lifestyles.

According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the Deep South Interactive Voice Response System-Supported Active Lifestyle (DIAL) intervention has been tested. This intervention combines automated phone counseling and fitness trackers supported by community health advisors trained by UAB’s O’Neal Cancer Center. The primary participants were Black women from six rural counties in Alabama’s Black Belt.

Improving Physical Activity Rates with DIAL

The DIAL intervention works by emphasizing the importance of physical activity tracking, setting goals, building self-efficacy, establishing social support, enjoying the process, and having positive expectations for outcomes. Participants who received the intervention experienced significant increases in physical activity compared to those who were still waiting to begin after six months.

Thanks to the DIAL intervention, participants included approximately an hour more of exercise in their weekly routine. This meaningful increase in physical activity can significantly impact health over time. Six months into the program, between 30 to 44 percent of DIAL participants met national guidelines by engaging in over 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity weekly, compared to half of that proportion in the wait-list group.

Increased physical activity, such as that achieved in the DIAL program, has been associated with a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation and longer life expectancies in past studies, says Dori Pekmezi, Ph.D., the study’s senior author and a professor at the UAB School of Public Health.

Addressing Rural Health Disparities with DIAL

The DIAL program was specifically created to aid populations that have higher rates of inactivity, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Using automated systems like DIAL could help bridge the health gap in underserved communities by making support for healthy living more accessible.

In rural, underserved areas, barriers such as the lack of nearby fitness centers often hinder participation in physical activity and traditional face-to-face physical activity programs. Interventions like DIAL can surmount these barriers by providing remote 24/7 support for physical activity. This support can be accessed from home and doesn’t require expensive gym memberships, clinic visits, or literacy.

Keeping Participants Engaged

DIAL’s intervention relies on automated phone calls, making it easily accessible for individuals with limited internet access or transportation. The study managed to retain 89 percent of its participants throughout the six months, and DIAL participants completed about 86 percent of the required phone calls.

Community health advisors within local areas played a crucial role in recruiting and supporting study participants. The success of this intervention required extensive community engagement, including nearly 15 years of iterative formative research with rural community members, community health advisors, and other stakeholders.

The National Institutes of Health (R01CA233550) supported this groundbreaking work with a grant.