One factor that has been linked to reduction in body fat and the health problems associated with obesity is increasing physical activity. In-person behavioral interventions have been shown to effectively increase physical activity, and focus has shifted to increasing the accessibility of these interventions through the use of technology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Fitbit, a web-based behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity. Additionally, this study examined whether contact from a behavioral coach through videoconference and e-mail enhanced the effectiveness of this program. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Fitbit program across 7 participants, with and without a behavioral coach, in a multiple-baseline across participants design. Step counts were recorded by a Fitbit accelerometer as a measure of physical activity. The Fitbit program alone increased physical activity for 3 of 7 participants, and the addition of the behavioral coach resulted in further increases in mean step counts for all 6 participants.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of token reinforcement, using an ABAB reversal design, for increasing distance walked for adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities at an adult day-training center. Five participants earned tokens for walking 50-m laps and exchanged tokens for back-up reinforcers that had been identified through preference assessments. Token reinforcement resulted in a substantial increase from baseline in laps walked for 4 participants.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of student pairing and feedback during recess on children's step counts. During baseline, participants wore a sealed pedometer during recess. During intervention, we paired participants with higher step counts with participants with lower step counts. We encouraged teams to compete for the highest step count each day and provided feedback on their performance during each recess session. Results showed a large mean increase in step count from baseline to intervention. These results suggest that children's steps during recess can be increased with a simple and cost-effective intervention.

We evaluated a pedometer-based intervention consisting of public posting between two teams of students, with additional self-monitoring, goal setting, and reinforcement components, to increase physical activity during school recess.In the absence of self-monitoring, performance feedback alone did not increase physical activity levels above those observed during baseline. Additionally, higher levels of physical activity were observed when goal-setting was introduced, with the highest levels of activity observed when raffle tickets could be earned for exceeding a specified step-total goal.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of goal setting and textual feedback, without additional intervention components, for increasing moderate‐intensity physical activity, specifically the weekly number of intense steps measured by a Fitbit. A multiple baseline across participants design was employed with four participants using a Fitbit Flex accelerometer to measure intense steps. Results showed a substantial increase in weekly number of intense steps for three out of four participants following the intervention.