Unannounced telephone interviews: A useful and positively received tool in the reinforcement of lifestyle intervention

Figures & data

Figure 1 Study design.

Table 1 Estimated and requested frequency of telephone interviews (percent of participants)

	1–2 times per week	Three times per month	Twice per month	Once per month	Once every two months	Once every three months	More seldom
How often do you recall being interviewed during the first 16 weeks of the study (intensive period)?2	2%	36%1		53%			9%
How often would you have preferred to be interviewed during the first 16 weeks?3	24%	48%	12%	16%	–	–	–
How often do you recall being interviewed during the less intensive period (during the final 20 months)?^Citation2,Citation4		2%		27%		61%1	10%
How often would you have preferred to be interviewed during the final 20 months?3	–	6%	3%	41%	13%	37%	–

Notes:

1 Actual frequency is given in bold.

2 Shaded areas were not options in the questionnaire.

3 This question had open answers.

4 Group D2 received only this less intensive frequency and thereby only this question about frequency.

Table 2 Positive and negative aspects of unannounced telephone interviews (n = 59)

What did you find positive about the telephone interviews?	Percent of participants	Number of participants
Nothing was positive	0	0
I became conscious of my own dietary habits	86	51
I felt obliged to follow the advice	25	15
I received encouragement and support	47	28
Gave the possibility to ask questions	54	32
I was reminded of participation in the study	47	28
What did you find negative about the telephone interviews?
Nothing was negative	54	32
I felt obliged to follow the advice	0	0
Hard to remember how much I had exercised	11	2
Hard to remember what I had eaten	46	27
Too time consuming	0	0
It was disturbing	2	1
Gave me a bad conscience	7	4

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