Multilevel Intervention for Physical Activity in Retirement Communities

MIPARC will focus on 3 physical activity goals: 1. increasing walking behavior through gradually increasing step goals 2. increasing attendance at available on-site and local aerobic, strength and flexibility classes, as well as prompting stair use, 3. reducing sedentary behavior. Participants will monitor their steps with a pedometer, daily step logs and progress charts. All participants will have a gradually increasing fixed step goal for each week that will result in an total increase of 3000 steps after 3 months, which they will be supported to maintain for an additional 3 months.

Every three weeks, participants will be required to attend a group education session, where researchers will teach behavior change strategies and allow participants to share their experiences and offer support to each other. The group sessions will follow a common format including: a group exercise (e.g. quiz), group discussion of use of behavior change strategies (e.g. overcoming barriers), and will end with a behavior change strategy instruction and goal setting component.

To support a tailored intervention delivery, participants will receive 4 individual phone calls (in weeks 2, 5, 8, and 11) from a trained health counselor. The phone call will follow the following format: 1. health check 2. step goal check 3. barrier identification 4. problem solving 5. specific goals to achieve target step counts. Counselors will prompt participants to report any adverse events, illnesses, medication changes or counter indicative symptoms. The calls will cease during the second 3 months to allow participants to practice self help techniques while still supported by the group sessions and peer mentoring.

Three peer mentors at each CCRC will be trained in intervention content and delivery, measurement support, and advocacy. The peer mentors will lead a group session once every three weeks for the 6 month intervention period and once a month for the following 6 months. The peer mentors will formulate their own ideas for these sessions but we will suggest they include group walks, group activities and trips to active locations, etc. The peers will help study staff to answer questions from participants and assist with study compliance and retention. They will also receive advocacy training from a non-profit advocacy organization to conduct walk audits of their CCRC and help mobilize participants to make changes to their community that will increase or improve the opportunities for physical activity.

In order to increase the sustainability of the project, MIPARC will focus on addressing on-site policies and neighborhood factors that are barriers to physical activity. Peers and staff will conduct site inspections to identify these barriers (e.g. lack of facilities, limited opening hours, unsafe sidewalks, etc.) which will be prioritized and presented to CCRC management and community officials.

A binder of professionally prepared materials will be provided at the beginning of the intervention and are referred to by researchers in the group sessions and phone counseling calls. The materials provide important information to encourage knowledge, self efficacy and realistic expectations.

Participants will be provided with a set of printed materials relating to the residential and neighborhood environment of their CCRC. A list of step counts for key indoor routes will be provided as well as safe walking route maps for the site an local neighborhood.

For the first 3 months, control participants will also receive a health check phone call to match the individual attention paid to participants in the MIPARC sites.

Participants will also keep the pedometer they wear during the baseline measurement week to satisfy any curiosity about the devices and the step entry criteria. They will be given instructions on its use but will not be taught the benefits of self-monitoring.