Schedule Intervention to Increase Sustainable Walking Activity in Midlife Working Adults

NCT03272438 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: BrandeisU
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 149
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

While people commonly understand that regular physical exercise conveys many health benefits, only 20% of U.S. adults take regular exercise and they have difficulty maintaining new healthy behaviors. The goal of this study is to use a planning intervention to help establish and maintain a daily step regimen in working midlife adults. The investigators will ask participants to plan when, where, and how to act on a daily walking goal in conjunction with a scheduling intervention to increase the chances that they will maintain this new regimen. The effectiveness of three different scheduling interventions will be compared.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

steps; goals

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Physical activity

  Number of steps taken each day as measured on accelerometer

  Daily for 9 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Measures of well being

  Before and after intervention (5 weeks apart), and at followup (4 weeks later)

• Physical activity self-efficacy and ease

  Weekly for 4 weeks

Study Arms (3)

No schedule control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group will receive an accelerometer and daily step goal. They will monitor their steps over the 9 week duration of the study. They will also monitor their steps over the 9 week duration of the study. They will have the same level of contact as the other two conditions.

Device: Accelerometer; Behavioral: Step goal

Consistent schedule condition

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive an accelerometer and daily step goal. They will monitor their steps over the 9 week duration of the study. They will have the same level of contact as the other two conditions. In addition they will plan when, where, and how they will take steps in consistent contexts, i.e., that are very similar from day to day.

Device: Accelerometer; Behavioral: Step goal; Behavioral: Consistent contexts

Inconsistent schedule condition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group will receive an accelerometer and daily step goal. They will monitor their steps over the 9 week duration of the study. They will have the same level of contact as the other two conditions. In addition they will plan when, where, and how they will take steps in inconsistent contexts, i.e., that vary from day to day.

Device: Accelerometer; Behavioral: Step goal; Behavioral: Inconsistent contexts

Interventions

Accelerometer DEVICE

Participants use an accelerometer to monitor their steps activity

Consistent schedule condition; Inconsistent schedule condition; No schedule control

Step goal BEHAVIORAL

Participants are given a daily step goal to aim for

Consistent schedule condition; Inconsistent schedule condition; No schedule control

Consistent contexts BEHAVIORAL

Participants plan to take steps in contexts that are similar from day to day

Consistent schedule condition

Inconsistent contexts BEHAVIORAL

Participants plan to take steps in contexts that vary from day to day

Inconsistent schedule condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• currently working 3 or more days (or 24 hours or more) per week;
• physically minimally active (as determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)

You may not qualify if:

• a recent (within the past 6 months) cardiovascular event, or fall.
• anyone who already exercises regularly, 3 times a week or more for at least 30 minutes, will be excluded

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brandeis University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts, 02453-2728, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Hill JO, Wyatt HR, Reed GW, Peters JC. Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here? Science. 2003 Feb 7;299(5608):853-5. doi: 10.1126/science.1079857.

  PMID: 12574618 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Jane Ebert, PhD

  Brandeis University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants are not aware of whether they are in an experimental or control condition.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Marketing

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three between-subjects conditions: consistent schedule, inconsistent schedule, no schedule. The study is a longitudinal study over 9 weeks, including a baseline week, a 4-week intervention and a follow-up assessment 4 weeks after the intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2017
• First Posted: September 5, 2017
• Study Start: April 13, 2018
• Primary Completion: July 24, 2019
• Study Completion: July 24, 2019
• Last Updated: February 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2022-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)