NCT03124537

Increasing Physical Activity Among Sedentary Older Adults:What, Where, When, and With Whom

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 86 (actual)
• Sponsor: Brandeis University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this study is to develop a smart phone app to administer a behavior change program that helps adults to increase daily steps by planning where, when, and with whom to walk. The investigators tested the effectiveness of the walking program app for increasing the number of daily steps among sedentary older adults. The investigators examined the effects on self-efficacy and social integration/support.

Detailed description

Physical activity is broadly beneficial for physical, psychological, and cognitive aspects of health, yet only one in five U.S. adults meets the CDC physical activity guidelines. Making physical activity accessible and feasible throughout life is an important public health policy objective that is within reach with the right kind of behavioral and environmental supports. The project aims to provide such supports for an active lifestyle thereby contributing to healthy aging. The goal of this project is to increase physical activity (i.e., walking) in sedentary older adults by providing the environmental and behavioral resources to incorporate additional steps into their daily lives. The investigators used a behavioral approach that fosters a sense of control and facilitates planning by focusing on the what, when, where, and with whom aspects of their physical activity. The investigators proposed a user-friendly, practical way to increase steps. By providing people with specific, tailored information about the number of steps one can get by walking a certain distance or during a certain amount of time, participants can better plan when, where, and with whom they will be able to achieve the desired number of steps, break goals into manageable portions (at different times throughout the day or week), and thereby increase the likelihood of goal achievement. During the app development phase, the investigators demonstrated the app to 10 older adults to get their input. The goal was to get their feedback about the app features and to make sure it is user friendly. The investigators asked questions about the ease of using the app and their understanding of the app features. The interviewer recorded their answers to share with the research team and app developer. Modifications to the app were made based on the feedback. During the next phase of the study, the investigators tested whether the full app program was successful in increasing steps and whether it was more effective than the basic app that only includes step counting and goals, similar to a fitness tracker or pedometer. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to two conditions: the app with step counting and goals alone (control), or the full version of the app with the step counting and goals, schedule, maps, and social components (experimental). It was predicted that the intervention group would improve more on outcome measures than the control group.

Conditions

• Sedentary Lifestyle
• Self Efficacy
• Control Locus
• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	App Experimental condition	This group were given the app to 1) count their steps, 2) add walks to their daily schedules, 3) create maps of their walking routes, and 4) text friends to invite them for a walk. Participants are asked to set a daily step goal and they can see how many steps they've taken each day since using the app. 2) There is an interface where participants can create maps based on walking routes. 3) They will also have the option to use a daily schedule to plan certain times in the day that they can walk. 4) The social feature gives participants the option to message friends, co-workers, or neighbors in one's contact list to invite them for a walk. They were also asked to respond to two questions twice a day about their mood and energy levels.
BEHAVIORAL	App Condition Control	This group received the app with the first component, the ability to count steps and set daily step goals. This group will also be able to track walks to see the time, distance, and steps of each walk, but not see these walks displayed as a map. This group will monitor their daily steps over a one-month period, and will be asked to use the app as much as possible. They were also asked to respond to two questions twice a day about their mood and energy levels.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-10-16
• Primary completion: 2019-03-29
• Completion: 2019-07-09
• First posted: 2017-04-24
• Last updated: 2020-10-20
• Results posted: 2020-10-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States