Abstract
Physical activity can aid in the management of symptoms for people with multiple sclerosis (MS; Motl et al., 2010). Thus, promoting physical activity among people with MS is critical. One method to achieve this aim is the use of behaviour change techniques targeting determinants of physical activity (Ellis & Motl, 2013). These may be delivered online, as the Internet is a preferred source of physical activity information for people with MS (Sweet et al., 2013). However, there are concerns regarding the quality and comprehensiveness of techniques delivered online, in addition to the overall quality (e.g., accountability and transparency) of MS websites (Marrie et al., 2013). The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the coverage and quality of behaviour change techniques delivered on websites for adults with MS; and (b) evaluate overall website quality. Twenty websites were coded for quality and coverage of behaviour change techniques using an adapted version of the Taxonomy of Behaviour Change Techniques (Abraham & Michie, 2008). Overall website quality was determined using the European Commission Quality Criteria for Health Related Websites (CEC, 2002). Results demonstrated low coverage (M=12.75, SD=7.49) and quality (M=12.55, SD=7.57) for behaviour change techniques (maximum possible score=40.00), with only one of the twenty techniques, provide information on behaviour-health link and consequences, being delivered on all websites. None of the websites met the Quality Criteria for Health-Related Websites. This study illustrates that behaviour change techniques are not consistently used when delivering online physical activity information to people with MS.
