Clinical trial NCT03803085: A Group-Based Walking Study Using WeChat to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults
Official title: A Group-Based Walking Study Using WeChat to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults: The Role of Social Engagement
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Inactivity
Sedentary Behavior
Lead sponsor: Brandeis University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-01-14
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: A total of 60 adults were recruited and randomly assigned to either the control condition (n=30) or the treatment condition (n=30). The 60 participants completed the study in one of three subgroups, with 20 participants randomly assigned to two groups (10 in the treatment group and 10 in the control group). Both conditions will use the WeChat App for use on a smartphone. The control group used the WeRun program to count their own steps. The treatment condition used the WeRun to engage in social contact and compare their steps with others in the group.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The aim for the study is to use the function WeRun in the application WeChat to encourage physical activity and social engagement among community dwelling older adults and their family members and friends. The specific aims are to test the effectiveness of a social contact and comparison intervention for increasing regular daily physical activity among community dwelling older adults, and to examine the potential effectiveness of WeChat in cultivating social engagement and well-being among community dwelling older adults.

Detailed description: The aim for the study is to use the function WeRun in the application WeChat to encourage physical activity and social engagement among community dwelling older adults. The investigators asked participants in the social engagement group to use the WeRun function in WeChat to track their daily walking steps and to compare their performance with their group members for 4 weeks. To encourage social engagement among their group members, the daily walking steps were calculated and the participant who has the highest step count in the group will be indicated each day.Those in the control group will only use the WeRun function in WeChat to track their own walking steps.

The investigators expected that the participants in the social contact group will walk more often and report more social activities than those in the control group, who will not compete with their peers in daily walking. To test these predictions, daily walking steps and the total walking steps per week were obtained and compared across groups. The nature and the extent of change was analyzed over the four weeks. Exercise self-efficacy was measured using a measure based on Bandura's model. Social engagement was measured using the short Lubben Social Network Scale, a self report measure of social engagement on a 12-item scale, and physical activity was measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), a self-report measure of physical activity on a 12-item scale.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants who are 60 or older who have a cellphone, with either android or iPhone system with data plan.
* They must be fit enough to walk for at least 20 minutes at a time.
* English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unable to walk more than 20 minutes;
* do not have smart phone with data plan.
* younger than 60

Primary outcomes:
measure: Number of Steps Walked
timeFrame: [Time Frame: Baseline (pretest) Week, Week 4 (posttest) and Week 8 (one month follow up)]
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Social Engagement
timeFrame: Pretest given 1 week before the intervention and then at the posttest after the 4 week study and one month follow up
measure: Exercise Self Efficacy
timeFrame: Pretest given 1 week before the intervention and then at the posttest after the 4 week study and one month follow up
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Waltham
country: United States
facility: Brandeis University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
References:
citation: Liu Y, Lachman ME. A Group-Based Walking Study to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults: The Role of Social Engagement. Res Aging. 2021 Oct-Dec;43(9-10):368-377. doi: 10.1177/0164027520963613. Epub 2020 Oct 6.