Title: 2014 Gparts
Funder: Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Background The benefits of regular exercise on health and well-being are well recognised. A previous study looked at how doctors own exercise habits can influence how they motivate their patients. We suspect that medical students take less exercise as they advance through their training. In any case it would seem sensible to examine how medical students exercise habits could be improved. It is anticipated that this study will address a current gap in the literature, which has largely concentrated on brief interventions, by examining the effect of continuous low level prompting on student exercise behaviour. Aim The overall aim of this study is to determine whether targeted online prompting linked to student online study activities can significantly increase student exercise levels and improve fitness. Objectives • To determine medical students’ fitness levels • To describe medical students’ exercise practices and attitudes to exercise • To measure students’ activity levels using an accelerometer App • To determine the effect of a simple online intervention on student activity levels • To measure change in medical student fitness levels following a programme of online exercise prompting. Design and Methods All medical students entering third year in September 2014 will be invited to take part in the study. Students will have their fitness levels measured at the University Sports Centre Movement Innovation laboratory as a baseline measurement. Participating students will register on the study website and will receive Smartphone accelerometer App to record their movement over the study period. Students will also be asked to complete an online survey tool which will enquire about their exercise habits and their attitudes to fitness and exercise. The smartphone accelerometer App will record student activity levels for the first semester after which student will be asked to repeat the fitness test In the second semester students will be randomly allocated to study or control groups. In the control group, students will carry on as in the first semester with their activity being recorded via the accelerometer. The study group students will be able to see a “fitness” button on the home page of their Medical Education Portal. This will provide simple and practical advice on how to increase activity levels and improve fitness. This will not only be a source of practical information and guidance for students but will also act as a potent prompt. As students engage with the online learning materials several times per week, they will encounter the large” fitness button” which will be designed to act as a suitable and changing prompt. Examples for the rubric on the button could include: • “have you thought about your fitness today?” • “Click here for exercise tips” • “Study better – stay fitter” The study design will be a prospective cross-over trial with the principle outcome measures being (1) Changes in activity levels as measured by the accelerometer (2) Change in fitness levels from baseline and comparison of fitness levels between study group and control


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: STROKE;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR;ORAL AND GASTROINTESTINAL