The COVID-19 Pandemic and Exercise Study
Condition: Depressive Symptomatology; Psychological Distress; Health Behavior
MeSH terms: COVID-19
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The COPE Trial is a randomized controlled trial that will provide currently isolated yet
      generally physically healthy 18-64 year old adults who are pre-retirement with the
      opportunity to receive a free 3-month subscription to either a yoga or moderate-to-high
      intensity aerobic exercise app or be randomized to a waitlist control group. Study outcomes
      include measures of psychological wellbeing and physical health.
    

Detailed description: 
      Global stay-at-home mandates implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are having
      substantial negative effects on mental health. Developing approaches to maintain the mental
      health of all individuals during this unprecedented time of physical distancing is of
      paramount importance. In the proposed low cost randomized controlled trial (RCT), the
      investigators seek to answer whether the use of a mobile app that provides a variety of
      physical activities appropriate for home workouts [i.e., high intensity interval training
      (HIIT), yoga] can improve wellbeing and health in adults mandated to stay at home. Should the
      results of this trial support the efficacy of the intervention (via app delivery), this has
      the potential to be implemented and delivered rapidly and at scale.

      Engaging in regular physical activity confers reduced risk for mental disorders (e.g.
      depression, anxiety) in clinical and non-clinical populations. The investigators' recent
      evidence also suggests that becoming physically active reduces depressive symptoms, as well
      as negative affect and rumination on a daily basis, while improving daily positive affect and
      a sense of control in highly stressed adults. With fitness centres currently closed by
      mandate, becoming physically active during the COVID-19 pandemic could prove to be a
      challenge for individuals who are typically inactive, those mandated to stay-at-home, or
      those who do not have opportunities to access outdoor spaces that provide the recommended two
      meters of distance between people. Thus, the investigators seek to support those living under
      stay-at-home mandates with access to mobile apps that provide opportunities to be physically
      active in the home environment.

      The study will focus on physical activities requiring little physical space or equipment that
      are easily completed at home. The study includes yoga, a movement-based activity that
      promotes relaxation and mindfulness and only requires space for the full length and width of
      one's body, and a mat as equipment. Yoga has been shown to be effective in improving physical
      function and quality of life in RCTs. The study also includes whole body weight (WBW)-based
      HIIT, which also only requires a mat, making it an excellent home-based form of aerobic
      exercise. HIIT is characterized as bouts of high-intensity exercise combined with periods of
      recovery or lower intensity activity. Its physical and psychological benefits compared to
      continuous moderate intensity training are often evidenced to be equal or significantly
      stronger.

      Aims. The primary outcome will be a measure of depressive symptomology. It is hypothesized
      that those who actively use the yoga and/or WBW-HIIT mobile apps will improve in their
      depressive symptomatology compared to the waitlist control group over the course of the
      6-week RCT. The study will also include measures of, as secondary outcomes, psychological
      distress, quality of life, and self-reported physical health, and expect decreases in
      distress and increases in the remaining outcomes. The researchers will also investigate
      whether effects are stronger in those (a) who currently live alone vs. live with others, or
      (b) with poorer levels of psychological health pre-randomization.
    

Intervention name(s): Yoga group; High Intensity Interval Training group; Combination
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): At-home yoga exercise instruction provided by a mobile/tablet app or through a computer web browser; At-home HIIT exercise instruction provided by a mobile/tablet app or through a computer web browser; At-home yoga & HIIT exercise instruction provided by a mobile/tablet app or through a computer web browser
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: exercise; intervention; resilience; depression; general affect; flourishing; psychological distress