Uptake of proactively offered online and telephone interventions targeting health risk behaviours amongst Technical and Further Education (TAFE) students

Background: Online and telephone services are effective in improving health risk behaviours. However, uptake of such services is poor amongst the general population. Whilst rates of health risk behaviours amongst vocational education students are high, whether they sign-up to proactively offered online and telephone support services for more than one health behaviour is unknown.

Aim: This study aims to examine the uptake of online and telephone services for health risk behaviours amongst TAFE students.

Methods: As part of an electronic intervention offered via a computer tablet to vocational education students, online and telephone services were proactively offered to participants who did not meet Australian health guidelines for smoking, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption and physical activity. Uptake was measured by whether participants signed-up to the support services they were offered.

Results: To date, 593 vocational education students have been recruited. The majority are men and the average age is 26.2 years. Uptake of online services was 17% or less. For the telephone services, the uptake was 14% or less.

Conclusion: Vocational education students appeared in general to prefer online programs rather than telephone services to address their health risk behaviours, but uptake for both was low.