Clinical trial NCT00131092: The CHAT (Community Health Advice by Telephone) Study
Official title: Exercise Advice by Human or Computer: Testing 2 Theories
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Health Behavior
Healthy
Keywords: exercise
aging
physical activity
Lead sponsor: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Sponsor class: NIH
First posted: 2005-08-17
Enrollment: 225
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 55
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL

Brief summary: The purpose of the study is to compare a telephone-administered physical activity counseling program delivered by a person or by a telephone-linked computer system and test their relative benefits in improving regular physical activity among adults ages 55 and older.

Detailed description: Two hundred and twenty five healthy, sedentary men and women ages 55 and older will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 12 months of physical activity counseling delivered by a human counselor, 12 months of physical activity counseling delivered by a telephone-linked computer system, or a 12-month attention-control condition (a health education class). Data on physical activity participation and related quality of life indicators (e.g., improved physical functioning, fitness, sleep) will be collected at baseline, 6 months, 12 month post-test and 18 month follow-up. The primary hypotheses are:

* participants in either physical activity counseling condition will show greater improvements in physical activity participation at 12 months compared to the attention-control condition;
* participants in the human counselor condition will show greater improvements in physical activity at 12 months relative to the computer condition; and
* participants in the computer condition will show better maintenance of physical activity between 12 and 18 months compared to participants in the human counselor condition.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women ages 55 and older
* Free of any medical condition that would limit participation in independent exercise
* Not currently engaged in a regular pattern of physical conditioning
* Free of clinical psychopathology
* Stable on current medications
* Planning to remain in the geographic area through the duration of the trial
* Able to read and speak English sufficiently to understand protocol materials
* Can use the telephone unaided
* Willing to accept random assignment to any study condition

Exclusion Criteria:

* Under the age of 55
* Currently under treatment for an acute, serious medical condition (e.g., cancer, heart disease, stroke)
* Physically active on a regular basis (i.e. performing more than 60 minutes per week of aerobic physical activity of at least a moderate intensity)
* Unstable and/or uncontrolled on medications for high blood pressure or depression
* Unable or unwilling to use a telephone unaided
* Unwilling to accept random assignment to study condition

Primary outcomes:
measure: Increase in physical activity measured by the Stanford 7-Day Physical Activity Recall and the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) physical activity questionnaire for older adults
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Physical performance on a symptom-limited, graded exercise treadmill test
measure: quality of life and psychological questionnaires measuring physical functioning, sleep, perceived stress, depressive symptoms
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Stanford
country: United States
facility: Stanford Prevention Research Center
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center
name: Abby C. King, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: King AC, Friedman R, Marcus B, Castro C, Forsyth L, Napolitano M, Pinto B. Harnessing motivational forces in the promotion of physical activity: the Community Health Advice by Telephone (CHAT) project. Health Educ Res. 2002 Oct;17(5):627-36. doi: 10.1093/her/17.5.627.
citation: Castro CM, King AC. Telephone-assisted counseling for physical activity. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2002 Apr;30(2):64-8. doi: 10.1097/00003677-200204000-00004.
citation: Pinto BM, Friedman R, Marcus BH, Kelley H, Tennstedt S, Gillman MW. Effects of a computer-based, telephone-counseling system on physical activity. Am J Prev Med. 2002 Aug;23(2):113-20. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(02)00441-5.
citation: Glanz K, Shigaki D, Farzanfar R, Pinto B, Kaplan B, Friedman RH. Participant reactions to a computerized telephone system for nutrition and exercise counseling. Patient Educ Couns. 2003 Feb;49(2):157-63. doi: 10.1016/s0738-3991(02)00076-9.