Computer-tailored interventions motivating people to adopt health promoting behaviours: Introduction to a new approach

This issue of Patient Education ann Counseling discusses the development, a pplication and effectiveness of computer-tailored interventions. Computer-t ailored interventions are a relatively new health education approach. The i nterventions are characterised by the fact that the content of the material s is adapted, with the aid of computers, to the specific characteristics of a particular person. The use of computers also facilitates addressing larg e segments of the population, who can now receive materials that are not ge neral but highly individualised, This thematic issue features papers dealin g with a wide range of topics, These articles describe the application of b ehavioural change theories to this new approach, the advantages of computer -tailored interventions over more general mass media approaches, their effe ctiveness and future directions for research on computer-tailored intervent ions. This editorial paper introduces computerised tailoring and provides a brief overview of its elements and applications as well as of the papers i n this issue, and summarises the main conclusions and suggestions for futur e research on computer-tailored interventions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ir eland Ltd. All rights reserved.