Sedentary Lifestyle
Conditions
Brief summary
The primary purpose of the current study was to determine whether a text message intervention would increase break frequency and length of break from sitting, time spent standing, and time spent in light and moderate intensity physical activity in university students
Detailed description
Sedentary behaviour (SB) has been linked to many health problems (e.g., type 2 diabetes, heart disease). Interventions aimed at office workers, overweight and obese individuals have proven successful in reducing SB; however, no studies have examined university students.Text message-based interventions have succeeded to aid in smoking cessation and increase both physical activity and healthy eating, but have not been shown to reduce SB. Eighty-two university students were randomized into intervention (SB related text messages) or control (text messages unrelated to SB) groups. Participants received daily text messages and reported various SBs (i.e., breaks from sitting, standing, light and moderate intensity physical activity) at four time points (baseline, 2, 4 and 6 weeks).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALtext messages related to sedentary behaviour
texts sent twice daily encouraging reduced sedentary behaviour
Sponsors
Western University, Canada
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* be able to read and write English * own a cell phone with unlimited incoming text messages * be a student at Western University
Exclusion criteria
* be under 18 or over 64
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change in length of break from sitting in minutes | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks |
| Change in frequency of break from sitting in minutes | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks |
| Change in minutes spent standing | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks |
| Change in minutes spent in light intensity physical activity | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks |
| Change in minutes spent in moderate intensity physical activity | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in self-efficacy for sedentary behaviour measured by percentage of confidence | baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks | purpose-built self-efficacy questionnaire used to rate how confident one feels in reducing sedentary behaviour |
Outcome results
None listed