A Motivational Psychological Intervention Aimed at University Students' Health

The researchers will provide informational materials to the participants. Such materials will be study-specific and will be delivered using both an information sheet and a brief video presentation. The information sheet will provide simple information regarding the intervention and its essential components including definitions and descriptions of the following concepts: 1. Motivational interviewing 2. Change talk 3. Status quo 4. Resistance talk These concepts will also be covered in a short video presentation prepared by the research team for the purpose of conducting this study. The video and the information sheet will be shared with the participants before launching the intervention. In this study we will use a modified version of MI interviewing intervention. In the proposed intervention we will ask the participants to deliver a series of brief online presentations (5-10 minutes) regarding behavior change. Participants will be instructed to prepare their presentations around the change talk themes employed in the original MI techniques. These themes include Disadvantages of status quo, advantages of change, intention to change, optimism about change. The administration of modified motivational interviewing intervention will be done in three main phases. First two weeks, the participants will be asked to deliver two online presentations a week. Second phase will include the next two weeks in which the participants will deliver one online presentation a week. In the third phase participants will be asked to deliver one online presentation once every two weeks for the next month. The target behaviors will represent three health domains (physiological, psychological, and cognitive). These domains were selected based on the review of the literature and how college life affect different aspects of health. To assess and monitor the participants' adherence to the intervention, a weekly report of video recordings will be used. A reminder will be sent to the participants asking them to turn in their videos in a timely manner. Those participants who do not turn in their videos will be contacted directly via the phone and help will be offered by the research team to make sure that the videos are turned in on time. The proposed intervention in the current study is considered feasible and do not involve any health or financial burdens on the students.