You’ve got health tips

Most of us ignore the steady stream of e-mails promising better body parts or weight loss while we sleep. But new research shows that some mass e-mails can help your health.

Canadian scientists found that regular e-mails with fitness and nutrition tips from a trusted source encouraged people to lead a healthier lifestyle. And unlike endless hints from a health-conscious spouse, people seemed to enjoy receiving the e-mail advice.

“People liked the mode of delivery,” says study leader Ron Plotnikoff, a population health expert at the University of Alberta in Canada. “Maybe they’re computer geeks, but a growing proportion of the population is attached to this” form of communication.

Plotnikoff and his team sent weekly messages to about 1,300 people at five government and business organizations in Alberta. The e-mails gave diet and exercise tips, such as ways to cook healthful meals on a budget or to fit exercise into a busy day. Researchers found that people who received e-mails were more physically active and had more healthful eating habits at the end of the 12-week study than a control group that didn’t get the weekly tips.

The messages seemed to have an enduring effect. “Lots of these things drop off,” Plotnikoff says. But six months later, people who had received the messages still did better than those who hadn’t, he says. “Motivating people over e-mail has a broad reach and low cost. I think it has a lot of potential as a public health strategy.”

The research was reported in the July/August 2005 edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion.