Clinical trial NCT03124563: Planning the Next Steps: Using an Implementation Intention Approach to Increase Daily Walking
Official title: Planning the Next Steps: Using an Implementation Intention Approach to Increase Daily Walking
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sedentary Lifestyle
Self Efficacy
Control Locus
Keywords: Exercise
Health Behavior
Aging
Lead sponsor: Brandeis University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-04-24
Enrollment: 63
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The study goal is to design an intervention utilizing implementation intentions to help participants prospectively plan and visualize ways to increase activity for the next day among working adults who do not currently exercise or use an activity monitor. Investigators will assess the level of and changes in physical activity, and how this relates to various individual factors that are related to exercise and health, including self-efficacy, control beliefs, and cognition.

Detailed description: The 5-week study consists of a 1-week baseline, where participants are asked to wear a Fitbit to document the number of steps taken that day to establish an objective measurement of steps before the intervention began. In the intervention condition, after the baseline week, during weeks 2 to 5, this condition is prompted with an email each evening for four weeks to review their schedules for the following day and identify time slots where they could add activity. They are given instructions for providing a detailed calendar of appointments and open slots for the next day using a simple daily planner. The planning implementation intention manipulation involves recording specific information about when, where, and how they will add steps to their day. They are provided with maps near their home and work with specific information about distances, estimated time to walk between different points, and number of steps for specific routes to help them in planning for specific routes.The control condition is matched for how much contact they have with the research staff (called and emailed the same amount of times) and also wear the Fitbit daily. The only difference from the intervention group is that they do not get the daily planning instructions or maps for the implementation intention strategy treatment. All activity data from the Fitbit was deidentified and aggregated with an online platform called Fitabase.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Currently working full time
* Not engaged in regular exercise
* 35 years of age or older

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not healthy enough to engage in a walking intervention

Primary outcomes:
measure: Steps
timeFrame: Week 1 & Week 5
measure: Activity Intensity
timeFrame: Week 1 & Week 5
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Cognitive Composite Score
timeFrame: Baseline (Pre-Test) and Week 5 (Post-Test )
measure: Exercise Control Beliefs
timeFrame: Baseline (Pre-Test) and Week 5 (Post-Test )
measure: Exercise Self-efficacy
timeFrame: Baseline (Pre-Test) and Week 5 (Post-Test )
measure: Exercise Self-efficacy Beliefs - Time Composite
timeFrame: Baseline (Pre-Test) and Week 5 (Post-Test )
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Brandeis University
name: Margie Lachman, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Robinson SA, Lachman ME. Perceived Control and Aging: A Mini-Review and Directions for Future Research. Gerontology. 2017;63(5):435-442. doi: 10.1159/000468540. Epub 2017 Apr 8.
citation: Robinson, S. A. & Lachman, M. E. (2016). Perceived Control and Behavior Change: A Personalized Approach. In F. Infurna & J. Reich (Eds.), Perceived Control: Theory, Research, and Practice in the First 50 Years (pp. 201-227). New York, New York: Oxford University Press.