Motivational interviewing in web-based computer tailoring: what question types should be used?

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PURPOSE:  Evidence illustrates that Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be successful ingettingindividualstoincreasetheirphysicalactivity(PA).DeliveringMIinatraditionalway,however,isexpensiveandthereforedifficulttoscaleup.Web-basedcomputertailoring(CT)couldbeaninterestingalternativedeliverychannel forMI.Beforeitispossible todevelopeffective web-basedMI interventions, however, we need to gain more specific insight onhowtointegrateMIsuccessfullyinweb-basedCT.Theaimofthisstudywastoassesswhichconfiguration of question types (open-ended and/or multiple choice) leads to the mostfavorableresultsintermsofautonomousmotivationandappreciationoftheinterventioninaweb-basedcomputer-tailoredPAintervention,basedonMI.
METHOD:Arandomizedtrialwasconductedamong465Dutchadults,comparingthreewebbasedcomputer-tailoredPAinterventionsbasedonMI:1)includingexclusivelyopen-endedquestions, 2) including exclusively multiple choice questions, 3) including both multiplechoice questions and open-ended questions. Measurements included motivation-relateddeterminants of PA and process variables, measured at baseline, directly following the intervention and one month postintervention. 
RESULT(S): Results suggest that open-ended questions represent an important element inweb-based MI in terms of effect on autonomous motivation and appreciation of theintervention.In order to optimizeappreciation of the intervention,a combination of bothopen-endedandmultiplechoicequestiontypesseemstoholdmostpromises. 
CONCLUSION(S): The findings of this study suggest that both open-ended and multiplechoicequestionsshouldbeincludedinweb-basedcomputer-tailoredMIPAinterventions.