Increasing Exercise Enjoyment and Outcome Expectations Among Women With Obesity

NCT03236077 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1134041
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 51
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Despite decades of physical activity (PA) research on inactive, obese individuals, we have not successfully moved the needle on exercise participation in this population. A recent review aptly referred to PA recommendations among obese individuals as "the public health guideline that is (almost) entirely ignored"\[1\]. While we have previously had little understanding of why PA rates are so low in this population, Dr. Leone's research uncovered two possible explanations: (1) women with obesity are less likely to report enjoying exercise and (2) more likely than non-obese women to report exercising only when they are trying to lose weight. In order to affect change among obese women, we need interventions that not only address disparities in enjoyment and outcome expectations. Programs must also be practical and scalable; however, these types of evidence-based programs do not exist within the context that people generally exercise (e.g., community centers, gyms). We propose a novel approach to increasing exercise participation in this population by focusing on exercise enjoyment, increasing appreciation of the proximal benefits of PA rather than focusing on weight, and addressing changes to the exercise environment that make it conducive to this population. By delivering our intervention in partnership with the YMCA, we not only have the ability to make changes to a typical exercise context, but we also ensure that our findings can be used to help exercise-focused community organizations implement a scalable, research-tested program.

Conditions

Obesity

Keywords

obesity, women, exercise, physical activity,

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• YMCA attendance

  YMCA attendance measured by swipes of member card

  3 motnhs

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• MVPA

  3 months

Other Outcomes (1)

• Exercise Enjoyment

  3 months

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Fit and Fab

Interventions

Fit and Fab BEHAVIORAL

participate in a targeted exercise program at the YMCA. Will include: Targeted exercise classes, Strength-training, Group support sessions

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 64 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Female
• Aged 18-64
• BMI ≥ 30 (self-reported for initial screening and confirmed at informational session using direct measurement)
• Not currently participating in any regularly scheduled exercise (see definition in eligibility screener)
• Willing to come to the Ken-Ton YMCA 2-3x/week (Phase 1) or the Independent Health YMCA (Phase 2)

You may not qualify if:

• \- Participants may not be pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 6 months
• Individuals with disabilities or health conditions that render them unable to participate in exercise or for whom exercise might be dangerous based on their answers to the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire or advisement form their physician

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University at Buffalo: lead
• Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, 14222, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Motor Activity

Interventions

Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Immunoglobulin Fragments; Peptide Fragments; Peptides; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins

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: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2017
• First Posted: August 1, 2017
• Study Start: February 1, 2017
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2017
• Study Completion: June 30, 2017
• Last Updated: July 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (1)