Skip to content

Peer Empowerment Program for Physical Activity in Low Income and Minority Seniors

PEP4PA - Peer Empowerment Program for Physical Activity in Low Income and Minority Seniors

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02405325
Acronym
PEP4PA
Enrollment
476
Registered
2015-04-01
Start date
2015-07-31
Completion date
2020-03-17
Last updated
2021-07-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

physical activity, multilevel, cost-effectiveness, older adults

Brief summary

Older adults are the least active population group in the US. Yet, research has shown that an increase in physical activity (PA) can have immediate and profound effects on cardiovascular health. Older adults who are active use significantly fewer health care resources, and with the increasing number of older adults in the US it is imperative to curb health care expenditure in this group. PEP4PA (Peer Empowerment Program 4 Physical Activity) is a multilevel intervention aimed at increasing physical activity levels in a population of low income and ethnically diverse older adults. It will be delivered in centers by trained older adults. Participants will work towards a daily increase of 2000 steps per day through self-paced incidental walking, peer led group walks, and attendance at existing center PA classes. They will also work on projects to increase opportunities to be physically active at their center or in the surrounding neighborhood.

Detailed description

In a 2-year cluster randomized controlled field trial of 408 ethnically diverse, older adults (50+ years old) in 12 low income community centers serving seniors in San Diego County the investigators will investigate: 1. The efficacy of PEP4PA (Peer Empowerment Program 4 Physical Activity) to reduce disparities in PA by increasing the percentage of participants achieving 150 minutes of PA per week at 6 and 12 months. Hypothesis: Participants in PEP4PA will significantly increase PA minutes in moderate intensity (measured objectively by accelerometry) to a greater extent than older adults receiving usual care (e.g. normal PA programing) in control centers and a greater percent will meet NHANES criteria for weekly PA. 2. The efficacy of PEP4PA to improve physical functioning, blood pressure (BP), depressive symptoms and quality of life. Hypothesis: Participants in PEP4PA will significantly increase their physical functioning (measured objectively by the short physical performance battery and 6 minute timed walk), decrease their systolic BP (mmHg) and reporting of depressive symptoms, and improve their quality of life scores (measured at baseline, 6 & 12 months) to a greater extent than older adults in control centers. 3. Assess the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of PEP4PA in terms of cost per MET hour and cost per QALY compared to usual programming in the control centers at 12 months. 4. Evaluate the impact of PEP4PA on secondary outcomes such as sedentary time and sleep quality (measured by accelerometry), cognitive/executive functioning, and walking routes (from GPS) at 12 months. Exploratory aims: 5. Examine individual, interpersonal, organizational, and environmental factors that affect implementation & behavior change. 6. Assess the efficacy, effectiveness and ICER of PEP4PA at 24 months

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPhysical Activity

intervention activities will remain at the daily level, including using pedometers, having daily goals, attendance at Peer lead group walks and recognition of efforts through monthly celebrations and bi-weekly goal tracking with peer Health Coaches.

Sponsors

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
CollaboratorNIH
University of California, San Diego
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* are 50 years or older * have not had a fall that resulted in a hospitalization in the past 12 months * able to complete a 3 meter walking test within 30 seconds * able to read and write in English * able to walk without assistance from another person * able to wear study devices and complete assessments * able to complete written surveys without assistance * able to attend regular study activities at the center * able to provide written informed consent and complete a post consent comprehension assessment * able to commit approximately 10 hours per week to study activities (peer Health Coach only) * active for 20 minutes per day on at least 3 days per week (peer Health Coach only)

Exclusion criteria

1. are younger than 50 years, 2. have had a fall that resulted in a hospitalization in the last 12 months, 3. cannot complete the walking test within 30 seconds, 4. are not able to read and write in English, 5. cannot walk without human assistance 6. unable to wear study devices and complete assessments, 7. unable to complete written surveys without assistance, 8. cannot regularly attend study activities at the center, 9. are not able to provide written informed consent, 10. do not adequately answer questions on the post consent test, 11. Participated in the Community of Mine research study (UCSD)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Minutes of Physical Activity as Measured by Accelerometer12 monthsChange in minutes of MVPA

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Physical Activity
The program will be run by peer Leaders and senior center staff with the support of UCSD staff. Participants will work towards a 2000 increase in daily steps through self-paced incidental walking and peer led group walks. Physical Activity: intervention activities will remain at the daily level, including using pedometers, having daily goals, attendance at Peer lead group walks and recognition of efforts through monthly celebrations and bi-weekly goal tracking with peer Health Coaches.
267
Usual Care
Measurement at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months only with a health related event at each time point.
209
Total476

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicPhysical ActivityUsual CareTotal
Age, Continuous70.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.8
71.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.1
71 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.9
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
6 Participants15 Participants21 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American Black or African American
113 Participants4 Participants117 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic
47 Participants25 Participants72 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other
28 Participants13 Participants41 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
120 Participants177 Participants297 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
267 Participants209 Participants476 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
215 Participants144 Participants359 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
52 Participants65 Participants117 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
3 / 2670 / 209
other
Total, other adverse events
149 / 26761 / 209
serious
Total, serious adverse events
85 / 26741 / 209

Outcome results

Primary

Minutes of Physical Activity as Measured by Accelerometer

Change in minutes of MVPA

Time frame: 12 months

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)
Physical ActivityMinutes of Physical Activity as Measured by Accelerometer20.0 Minutes
Usual CareMinutes of Physical Activity as Measured by Accelerometer19.2 Minutes

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 9, 2026