Physical Inactivity
Conditions
Brief summary
While older women are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases and conditions associated with aging, including both physical and cognitive impairments, that can be alleviated or delayed by regular physical activity, few physical activity programs have been developed specifically with their needs in mind. This research aims to evaluate, in insufficiently active older women from the national WHISH pragmatic trial, the effects of a technology-driven citizen science approach to environmental physical activity barriers called Our Voice plus the ongoing light-touch remote physical activity educational program, compared to the light-touch remote physical activity educational program plus a control educational intervention that creates awareness around human and planetary health. This study will add important information on the benefits and trade-offs of combining these remotely delivered and practical behavioral health approaches to promote physical and cognitive health for the fast-expanding demographic group of U.S. older women.
Detailed description
Older women are disproportionately impacted by a range of chronic diseases and conditions, such as cognitive impairments, that can be alleviated by regular physical activity (PA), including walking; yet they are the most inactive segment of the US population. This study's primary aim is to enhance the efficacy of a light-touch, remotely delivered PA educational intervention for older women by testing the added impacts of an innovative, remotely delivered citizen science program to identify and address local environmental barriers to walking and other PA, called Our Voice (OV). The light-touch PA educational program (Encore) has been delivered since 2015 to \>23,000 women \>70 years that have been participating in the U.S.-wide Women's Health Initiative Strong and Healthy (WHISH) pragmatic PA trial. The study's hypothesis is that women receiving Encore+OV will show higher 12-month PA levels than women receiving Encore plus the control educational program. Additional questions include changes in cognitive function and sedentary behavior and exploring the relative costs of the two programs for PA change.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPA Education plus human and planetary health information
One year of continuing person-level physical activity promotion and health-related information delivered primarily by mail, email, and through online scientific video presentations and exploration of freely available citizen science mobile applications
BEHAVIORALPA Education plus Our Voice citizen science
One year of continuing person-level physical activity promotion and health-related information delivered primarily by mail and email, plus participatory citizen science activities involving neighborhood audits of the walking environment using a mobile app and remote group discussion and problem-solving around physical activity barriers
Sponsors
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Stanford University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Outcome assessors will be masked to condition assignment.
Intervention model description
Eligible individuals will be randomized to either a continuing remote educational physical activity program along with general human and planetary health information (control), or to the educational physical activity program plus a remote citizen science program aimed at physical and social environmental barriers to walking and other physical activities.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
66 Years to 105 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Is insufficiently physically active based on National Guidelines; * Can engage in moderate forms of walking in and around their neighborhoods; * Owns and can use a smartphone; * Willing to wear the study pedometer; * No plans to move from the area over the 1 year study period; * Willing to be randomized and engage in study assessments;
Exclusion criteria
* Not currently living in a nursing home or with a dementia diagnosis or other medical condition that would preclude moderate forms of physical activity outside the home or study participation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean number of steps per day as measured by step counter | 12 months | Participants will wear an Accusplit pedometer to record on the WHISH study website data entry tracking system their number of steps/day. Higher numbers of steps per day is considered a better outcome. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly walking minutes | 12 months | Self-report using the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) Physical Activity Questionnaire. CHAMPS is a self-report physical activity questionnaire that assesses weekly frequency and duration of various activities typically undertaken by midlife and older adults over the prior 4-week period (for example, self-reported walking for errands, for leisure, up hills, brisk walking). The measure has been shown to have good test-retest reliability (stability) and construct and concurrent validity, and has been shown to be sensitive to change in a variety of adult populations. It has seven frequency categories (from less than 1 hour a week to 9 or more hours per week). The minimum value (walking minutes) is 0 and there is no set maximum value. The national recommendation is for 150 minutes per week. Higher numbers on this measure are considered a better outcome. |
| Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified (TICSm) | 12 months | The 16-item (50-point) TICSm, which is the most widely used telephone cognitive assessment tools for older populations, and has been shown to have excellent validity and reliability in diverse groups of older adults. It correlates well with comprehensive neuropsychological assessments, is less constrained by ceiling effects than the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and has been shown to be sensitive to change. A higher score on this measure is considered a better outcome. |
| Self-report Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire | 12 months | This 7-item 1-week recall questionnaire has been shown to have good test-retest reliability and validity, and has been shown to be sensitive to change with intervention. A higher score is considered a worse outcome. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed