None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: People do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA), and therefore, do not confer health benefits and reduce risk of chronic diseases. Increasing PA levels reduces this risk and is also linked to better quality of life and reduced stress. Healthcare professionals frequently provide guidance on physical activity; however often do not meet the recommendations themselves. There is a need for large-scale coordinated efforts to promote PA at the population level and, in particular, in healthcare professionals who often experience stressful work patterns. Recent developments in technology have been used to promote PA through tailored interventions. The main objective of this study is to develop and test the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of tailored interventions in healthcare professionals to increase their PA and quality of life, and to reduce work-related stress and absenteeism. The study will also compare the unique and interactive effects of three forms of the tailored intervention on study outcomes based on different techniques from behavioural theory. Methods/Design: Frontline hospital staff (N = 168) will be recruited from four hospitals in Perth, Western Australia via employer’s mailing list, leaflets and posters. Participants will be randomised to one of the four conditions: motivation, self-regulation, habit, and control. Participants in all conditions will be provided with access to a web-based platform that provides a library of short lay-language articles on promoting PA. All intervention groups will receive a tailored intervention administered via the web-based platform with supporting text messages. Theory-based personalised information will be delivered to participants based on their responses to surveys assessing theory-based cognitions (e.g., motivation, self-efficacy). The content of the tailored messages will adopt specific techniques based on behavioural theory. The primary outcome will be PA measured using activity monitors. Secondary outcomes include: self-reported quality of life, stress, anxiety, sleep, and absenteeism from employee records. All outcomes will be assessed pre- and post-intervention (at 3 months). Website engagement, retention and preferences related to each component of the intervention, and potential mediators and moderators of the intervention will be assessed. Discussion: This is the first study to deliver a tailored, technology-supported intervention aiming to increase PA in frontline healthcare professionals. In addition, the inclusion of different techniques based on behavioural theory in different arms of the trial will assist in providing an evidence base assessing the effectiveness of motivational, self-regulatory and habit-forming strategies in promoting PA. The online platform developed in this study has a potential to deliver efficient, scalable and personally-relevant intervention that can be translated to other occupational settings.
Interventions
Participants: Nurses, midwifes and patient assistants (N = 168) will be recruited from four hospitals in Perth, Western Australia. Intervention: Participants will be randomised to one of the three intervention conditions including different behaviour change techniques (BCTs): (1) motivational, (2) motivational and self-regulatory, (3) motivational, self-regulatory and habit formation, all an online behavioural intervention to encourage physical activity in their own time.
There will be six fortn
Participants: Nurses, midwifes and patient assistants (N = 168) will be recruited from four hospitals in Perth, Western Australia. Intervention: Participants will be randomised to one of the three intervention conditions including different behaviour change techniques (BCTs): (1) motivational, (2) motivational and self-regulatory, (3) motivational, self-regulatory and habit formation, all an online behavioural intervention to encourage physical activity in their own time. There will be six fortnightly online sessions (approximately half an hour each) delivered over three months. The sessions are designed by sports and psychology experts. Participants will receive tailored feedback based on their answers to short surveys that they complete at the beginning of each session. Study participants will receive email reminders to complete the sessions, followed by a phone call from a trial coordinator in case of low adherence to the procedures. The study will compare the unique and additive effects of three forms of the tailored intervention on study outcomes based on different techniques from behavioural theory. One form will adopt techniques that focus on motivational processes; other one will add intentional self-regulatory processes while another will add the development of habits. In the motivational condition participants will be asked questions about their main motives to be physically active. Based on their responses, they will receive feedback including BCTs that boost their motivation and help them specify and reach their goals. In the self-regulatory condition additional techniques supporting self-monitoring and regulation will be added, e.g. feedback on performance and progress throughout the intervention. In the habit formation condition participants will receive all aforementioned intervention components as well as techniques relevant to habit development, e.g. emphasising need to repeat the same activity in the same context, and establishing routines. Participants will see relevant feedback on the computer screen once they have answered short surveys. For instance when they are asked about main barriers to be physically active, they will receive advice on how to overcome the barriers that they have selected. Participants self-reported physical activity will be measured at the beginning of each fortnightly survey and the feedback will be also tailored accordingly to the changes in physical activity.
Sponsors
Curtin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Eligible participants will include hospital staff employed in Perth, Western Australia. Staff working in shift patterns and non-shift workers will be eligible to participate. No restrictions will be placed on the type of contract and number of hours worked. Eligible participants will include nurses, midwifes and patient assistants.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals who have a self-reported physical condition or any physical impairment preventing them from being physically active will be excluded from the study. They will be screened using an adapted version of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ). Staff who do not have a mobile phone that allows them to receive normal text messages, who do not have access to internet on their mobile phone, computer or tablet, who are already active (engaging in more than 150 minutes of high intensity physical activity per week outside of work), and who are currently participating in any other physical activity program (e.g. a structured weight loss program, regular meetings with personal trainer or coach) will be ineligible to participate.
Outcome results
None listed