A Pedometer-based Intervention With and Without Email Counselling in General Practice

After randomisation, participants will receive a pedometer and will be instructed to wear the pedometer daily for the next four months, check the step count every evening and gradually increase their daily number of steps to at least 10,000. They will also be required to upload data to a website at least once a week. During the intervention period, patients will receive 8 counselling emails based on behavioural techniques.

After randomisation, participants will receive a pedometer and will be instructed to wear the pedometer daily for the next four months, check the step count every evening and gradually increase their daily number of steps to at least 10,000. They will also be required to upload data to a website at least once a week. There will be no further interaction during the intervention period unless they fail to upload data, in which case they will be offered technical support.