Clinical trial NCT01528761: Prosocial Behavior and Volunteerism to Promote Physical Activity in Older Adults
Official title: Prosocial Behavior and Volunteerism to Promote Physical Activity in Older Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Keywords: physical activity
older adults
physical function
health-related quality of life
prosocial behavior
social cognitive theory
Lead sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
First posted: 2012-02-08
Enrollment: 317
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 55
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The purpose of this 12-month study is to compare how well two programs help older adults make physical activity a regular habit.

Detailed description: Although only a small percentage of older adults engage in habitual physical activity, previous studies have demonstrated interventions that include cognitive-behavioral strategies can enhance long-term, independent physical activity. In addition, there are episodic charity events, such as charity walks, that attract large numbers of participants of all age ranges to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity. These actions are a form of prosocial behavior, defined as voluntary, intentional behavior that results in benefits for another. The opportunity to help others seems to be a motive in inspiring these individuals to at least engage in one session of moderate physical activity. Thus, the current research project contemplates whether prosocial behavior may be implemented as a viable behavioral incentive for long-term physical activity.

Participants in the Prosocial Behavior Physical Activity (PBPA) intervention will receive a cognitive-behavioral intervention to teach participants the behavioral skills necessary to engage in long-term (12-month) independent physical activity. Participants in the Healthy Aging (HA) intervention will receive excellent educational sessions based on a number of topics of relevance to older adults. Both programs will provide supervised stretching sessions so that participants learn how to safely and effectively improve flexibility, which helps reduce the likelihood of falls and disability. However, the PBPA intervention will also allow participants to earn food for donation to Second Harvest Food Bank based on their regular physical activity and volunteer time.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* age 55 years or older
* physically underactive
* no evidence of any major psychological illness
* residence within 20 miles of study site
* plans to remain in area for duration of study

Exclusion Criteria:

* currently engaging in regular physical activity
* self-reported evidence of cardiovascular disease
* self-reported evidence of diabetes
* self-reported falling within the past year
* alcohol consumption greater than 14 drinks per week
* inability to understand English
* plans to move from area
* participation in another medical intervention study
* severe hearing or sight impairments

Primary outcomes:
measure: physical activity
timeFrame: 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: physical function
timeFrame: 12 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Winston-Salem
country: United States
facility: Wake Forest School of Medicine
state: North Carolina
Study officials:
affiliation: Wake Forest University Baptist Health
name: Capri G Foy, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Foy CG, Vitolins MZ, Case LD, Harris SJ, Massa-Fanale C, Hopley RJ, Gardner L, Rudiger N, Yamamoto K, Swain B, Goff DC Jr, Danhauer SC, Booth D, Gaspari J. Incorporating prosocial behavior to promote physical activity in older adults: rationale and design of the Program for Active Aging and Community Engagement (PACE). Contemp Clin Trials. 2013 Sep;36(1):284-97. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2013.07.004. Epub 2013 Jul 19.