Clinical trial NCT01516099: A Structural Approach to Implement the Role of 'Physical Activity Counselors' in Sports and Exercise Promotion
Official title: Pilot Study: A Structural Approach to Implement the Role of 'Physical Activity Counselors' in Sports and Exercise Promotion in Flanders
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Sedentary Lifestyle
Keywords: Physical activity counselor
Active and healthy lifestyle
General Practitioner
Social-cultural Organization
Lead sponsor: Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Belgian Government
First posted: 2012-01-24
Enrollment: 110
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 75
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The primary aim of this study is to investigate how a physical activity counselor can offer an added value in the sports and exercise promotion in Flanders. The investigators will explore if the physical activity counselor, in collaboration with the setting of general practitioners and social-cultural associations, can refer sedentary people and persons who are active in a non-organized context, into systematic participation in sports and/or exercise. Additionally, the investigators want to determine if the physical activity counselor will succeed in referring the target population to the local supervised and structured sports and exercise activities.

Detailed description: Being regularly physically active is a basic component of a healthy lifestyle. However, a large amount of the Flemish population does not reach the prescribed guidelines and cannot enjoy the health benefits related to an active lifestyle. One part of the population is physically active but makes no use of the existing, structured and supervised exercise and sports programs. Therefore the chance on lifetime participation in sports and exercise is quite low in this group. Another group consists of sedentary people that does not participate in any exercise or sports activity at all.

A physical activity counselor can possibly deliver a crucial service for the above mentioned groups. He/she can design an individualized sports- or exercise approach and program. In the short term, the physical activity counselor can guide the participant into his first success experiences regarding exercise and sports. In the long term, the chance of remaining physically active will increase by improving the understanding and the self-confidence of these participants.

However it is questioned how the physical activity counselor can reach these target groups in an efficient way, as the traditional sports and exercise promotion seems to have no impact on these persons. A first alternative may be the setting of the general practitioners. The general practitioner is, as a care provider in primary health care, in a good position to refer sedentary people or those who are active in a non-organized context to a physical activity counselor for 'minimal' coaching. A second alternative can be the setting of the social-cultural associations (e.g. seniors association, women association, neighborhood actions, ...). The social context and the local networks in these associations facilitate the proper forms of motivation to exercise with other people and to adapt to a healthy lifestyle.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Between 18-75 years of age
* Able to walk

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe cardial disease

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in health-related anthropometric measures
timeFrame: baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months
measure: Change in objective measure of degree of physical activity
timeFrame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months
measure: Change in mental well-being
timeFrame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months
measure: Change in motivation to be physically active
timeFrame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months
measure: Change in participation in local structured sports and exercise
timeFrame: Baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Leuven
country: Belgium
facility: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences
state: Vlaams Brabant
Study officials:
affiliation: Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences
name: Christophe Delecluse, PhD, Dr
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: