A Trial of an Affect-Guided Physical Activity Prescription

NCT02507869 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2012-098-SMIJ
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 67
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Despite awareness of the benefits of engaging in regular physical activity, at least 50% of adults in the US do not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity. One potential explanation for this lack of regular physical activity is that people often experience exercise as affectively unpleasant. Evidence suggests that the more positively people experience exercise (i.e., the better they feel while exercising), the more likely they are to engage in regular physical activity. This may be especially true for people in poor cardiorespiratory condition. In this randomized trial, investigators compared the effects of an affect-guided exercise prescription (intervention) to a heart rate-guided exercise prescription (control) on change in physical activity minutes among previously underactive adults. Investigators also tested whether the effect of the intervention was moderated by differences in cardiorespiratory fitness.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in physical activity minutes measured by the 7-day PAR

  One week

• Change in physical activity minutes measured by the 7-day PAR

  One month

Study Arms (2)

Affect-Guided Prescription

EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention: Participants in the affect-guided condition are instructed to exercise while monitoring how they feel, and to adjust the intensity of their exercise to maintain a pleasant affective response.

Behavioral: Positive affective response

Heart Rate-Guided Prescription

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Intervention: Participants in the heart rate-guided condition are instructed to exercise while monitoring their heart rate, and to adjust the intensity of the exercise to maintain a heart rate in the moderate range (64-76% of their HRmax).

Behavioral: Moderate-intensity heart rate

Interventions

Positive affective response BEHAVIORAL

Participants adjust the intensity of their exercise to maintain a pleasant affective response.

Affect-Guided Prescription

Moderate-intensity heart rate BEHAVIORAL

Participants adjust the intensity of the exercise to maintain a heart rate in the moderate range (64-76% of their HRmax).

Heart Rate-Guided Prescription

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Physically underactive individuals (\< 60 minutes of physical activity/week).

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, or hypertension.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Southern Methodist University: lead

Related Publications (6)

• Ekkekakis P, Lind E. Exercise does not feel the same when you are overweight: the impact of self-selected and imposed intensity on affect and exertion. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Apr;30(4):652-60. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803052.

  PMID: 16130028 BACKGROUND

• Ekkekakis P, Parfitt G, Petruzzello SJ. The pleasure and displeasure people feel when they exercise at different intensities: decennial update and progress towards a tripartite rationale for exercise intensity prescription. Sports Med. 2011 Aug 1;41(8):641-71. doi: 10.2165/11590680-000000000-00000.

  PMID: 21780850 BACKGROUND

• Ekkekakis P, Lind E, Vazou S. Affective responses to increasing levels of exercise intensity in normal-weight, overweight, and obese middle-aged women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Jan;18(1):79-85. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.204. Epub 2009 Jun 25.

  PMID: 19556979 BACKGROUND

• Parfitt G, Alrumh A, Rowlands AV. Affect-regulated exercise intensity: does training at an intensity that feels 'good' improve physical health? J Sci Med Sport. 2012 Nov;15(6):548-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2012.01.005. Epub 2012 May 31.

  PMID: 22658587 BACKGROUND

• Williams DM, Dunsiger S, Jennings EG, Marcus BH. Does affective valence during and immediately following a 10-min walk predict concurrent and future physical activity? Ann Behav Med. 2012 Aug;44(1):43-51. doi: 10.1007/s12160-012-9362-9.

  PMID: 22532005 BACKGROUND

• Williams DM, Dunsiger S, Miranda R Jr, Gwaltney CJ, Emerson JA, Monti PM, Parisi AF. Recommending self-paced exercise among overweight and obese adults: a randomized pilot study. Ann Behav Med. 2015 Apr;49(2):280-5. doi: 10.1007/s12160-014-9642-7.

  PMID: 25223963 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Austin Baldwin, Ph.D.

  Southern Methodist University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 22, 2015
• First Posted: July 24, 2015
• Study Start: April 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2014
• Study Completion: April 1, 2014
• Last Updated: July 24, 2015

Record last verified: 2015-07