Clinical trial NCT01593449: A Community-based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners
Official title: A Community-based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE1
Conditions: Sedentary
Lead sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Worcester
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Massachusetts, Lowell
First posted: 2012-05-08
Enrollment: 107
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 21
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The present study aims to initially test a community dog walking intervention that addresses individual, interpersonal and community factors associated with dog walking. The study will be conducted in two cities, Worcester and Lowell, as a collaboration between investigators from UMass Medical School and UMass-Lowell.

Detailed description: This is a group randomized trial where 8 communities in Worcester and Lowell (4 per city) will be randomly assigned to the 6-month dog walking intervention or a standard, self-help, print-based physical activity control condition. Dog owners (N=120; 15 per community) will be recruited. The intervention includes a social networking website, monthly newsletters, twice monthly neighborhood dog walks and community events. The intervention will: 1) educate owners about the benefits of dog walking to themselves and their dog, 2) teach strategies for regular dog walking, 3) teach dog walking tips and provide dog training seminars, 4) promote self-monitoring and goal setting for dog walking, 5) provide social networking opportunities for dog owners and 6) promote a sense of community via participation in neighborhood dog walks and community events. Intervention feasibility will be assessed by measures of implementation success, including recruitment and retention rates, website use, intervention satisfaction and attendance at neighborhood walks and community events. Initial efficacy will be assessed via change in weekly steps measured via a pedometer from baseline to 6-months after baseline.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Eligible participants will own a dog that is in good health and considered a household pet, be a Worcester or Lowell resident, be aged \> 21 years old and have home internet access. Participants with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or other chronic health condition are eligible with permission from their PCP to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants will be excluded for any of the following:

1. Inability or unwillingness to give informed consent
2. Plans to move out of the area within the study period
3. Participated in a focus group during the developmental phase
4. Another household member is participating in the study
5. Pregnant or planning a pregnancy in the next six months
6. Condition that inhibits exercise (e.g., unable to walk unaided, or cannot walk 1/4 mile without stopping)
7. Incapable of engaging in physical activity as assessed by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
8. Self-report engaging in \> 150 minutes of moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity per week.
9. The participant's dog has a history of biting a human or has not received a rabies vaccination.

Primary outcomes:
measure: feasibility
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Weekly steps
timeFrame: baseline and 6 months
measure: weekly dog walking minutes
timeFrame: baseline and 6 months
measure: social support for walking
timeFrame: baseline and 6 months
measure: sense of community
timeFrame: baseline and 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Lowell
country: United States
facility: University of Massachusetts Lowell
state: Massachusetts
city: Worcester
country: United States
facility: University of Massachusetts Medical Schol
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Rosalind Franklin Medical School
name: Krisitin Schneider, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Schneider KL, Murphy D, Ferrara C, Oleski J, Panza E, Savage C, Gada K, Bozzella B, Olendzki E, Kern D, Lemon SC. An online social network to increase walking in dog owners: a randomized trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015 Mar;47(3):631-9. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000441.