scholarly journals Increasing Physical Activity in Mothers Using Video Exercise Groups and Exercise Mobile Apps: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Nina Mascarenhas ◽  
June Maylin Chan ◽  
Eric Vittinghoff ◽  
Erin Lynn Van Blarigan ◽  
Frederick Hecht
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Group Exercise ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Waitlist Control ◽  
Health Technologies

BACKGROUND Women significantly decrease their activity levels in the transition to motherhood. Digital health technologies are low cost, scalable, and can provide an effective delivery mechanism for behavior change. This is the first study that examines the use of videoconferencing and mobile apps to create exercise groups for mothers. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to test the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an individually adaptive and socially supportive physical activity intervention incorporating videoconferencing and mobile apps for mothers. METHODS The Moms Online Video Exercise Study was an 8-week, 2-armed, Web-based randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of a group exercise intervention with a waitlist control. Healthy mothers with at least 1 child under the age of 12 years were recruited through Facebook and email listservs. Intervention participants joined exercise groups using videoconferencing (Google Hangouts) every morning on weekdays and exercised together in real time, guided by exercise mobile apps (eg, Nike+, Sworkit) of their choice. Waitlist control participants had access to recommended mobile apps and an invitation to join an exercise group after the 8-week study period. Main outcomes assessed included changes in self-reported moderate, vigorous, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) minutes per week in aggregate and stratified by whether women met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for sufficient aerobic activity at baseline. Outcomes were measured through self-assessed Web-based questionnaires at baseline and 8 weeks. RESULTS The intervention was effective at increasing exercise for inactive women and proved to be feasible and acceptable to all participants. A total of 64 women were randomized, 30 to intervention and 34 to control. Women attended 2.8 sessions per week. There was a strong, but not statistically significant, trend toward increasing moderate, vigorous, and MVPA minutes for all women. As hypothesized, in the prespecified stratum of women who were inactive at baseline (n=51), intervention participants significantly increased their activity by an average of 50 (95% CI 4.0-95.9, P=.03) MVPA minutes per week more than control participants. They had a corresponding statistically significant net increase of 19 (95% CI 3.2-34.8, P=.02) minutes of vigorous activity. Inactive women in the intervention arm also experienced promising reductions in depression, reporting a statistically significant net decrease in their depression score (−3.8, 95% CI −7.0 to −0.6; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS We found that a group exercise intervention using videoconferencing and mobile apps was a feasible and acceptable way to deliver a physical activity intervention to mothers. The intervention increased physical activity in inactive mothers. Further studies are needed to better establish how long these changes in physical activity can be maintained and whether these findings can be reproduced in a more diverse population. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02805140; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02805140 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yYZwRveg)

scholarly journals Association Between Physical Activity Intervention Website Use and Physical Activity Levels Among Spanish-Speaking Latinas: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E Linke ◽  
Shira I Dunsiger ◽  
Kim M Gans ◽  
Sheri J Hartman ◽  
Dori Pekmezi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Spanish Speaking

BACKGROUND The internet’s low cost and potential for high reach makes Web-based channels prime for delivering evidence-based physical activity (PA) interventions. Despite the well-studied success of internet-based PA interventions in primarily non-Hispanic white populations, evidence on Spanish-speaking Latinas’ use of such interventions is lacking. The recent rise in technology use among Latinas in the United States, a population at heightened risk for low PA levels and related conditions, suggests that they may benefit from Web-based PA interventions tailored to their cultural and language preferences. OBJECTIVE The goal of the research was to examine participant engagement with various features of an internet-based PA intervention for Latinas and explore how use of these features was differentially associated with adoption and maintenance of PA behavior change. METHOD Pasos Hacia la Salud tested a Spanish-language, culturally adapted, individually tailored, internet-based PA intervention versus a Spanish language, internet-based, Wellness Contact Control condition for underactive Latinas (N=205, mean age 39.2 [SD 10.5] years, 84% Mexican American). These analyses examined engagement with the website and explored how use was associated with adoption and maintenance of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behavior. RESULTS Overall, participants logged on to the website an average of 22 times (SD 28) over 12 months, with intervention participants logging on significantly more than controls (29 vs 14.7, P<.001). On average, participants spent more time on the website at months 1, 4, and 6 compared to all other months, with maximum use at month 4. Both log-ins and time spent on the website were significantly related to intervention success (achieving higher mean minutes of MVPA per week at follow-up: b=.48, SE 0.20, P=.02 for objectively measured MVPA and b=.74, SE 0.34, P=.03 for self-reported MVPA at 12 months, controlling for baseline). Furthermore, those meeting guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for PA at 12 months (≥150 minutes per week of MVPA) logged on significantly more than those not meeting guidelines (35 vs 20 over 12 months, P=.002). Among participants in the intervention arm, goal-setting features, personal PA reports, and PA tips were the most used portions of the website. Higher use of these features was associated with greater success in the program (significantly more minutes of self-reported MVPA at 12 months controlling for baseline). Specifically, one additional use of these features per month over 12 months translated into an additional 34 minutes per week of MVPA (goals feature), 12 minutes per week (PA tips), and 42 minutes per week (PA reports). CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that greater use of a tailored, Web-based PA intervention, particularly certain features on the site, was significantly related to increased PA levels in Latinas. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01834287; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01834287

scholarly journals The Effects of Aerobic Versus Cognitively Demanding Exercise Interventions on Executive Functioning in School-Aged Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Anna Meijer ◽  
Marsh Königs ◽  
Irene M.J. van der Fels ◽  
Chris Visscher ◽  
Roel J. Bosker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Exercise Interventions ◽  
Randomized Controlled

The authors performed a clustered randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of an aerobic and a cognitively demanding exercise intervention on executive functions in primary-school-age children compared with the regular physical education program (N = 856). They hypothesized that both exercise interventions would facilitate executive functioning, with stronger effects for the cognitively demanding exercise group. The interventions were provided four times per week for 14 weeks. Linear mixed models were conducted on posttest neurocognitive function measures with baseline level as covariate. No differences were found between the exercise interventions and the control group for any of the measures. Independently of group, dose of moderate to vigorous physical activity was positively related to verbal working memory and attention abilities. This study showed that physical exercise interventions did not enhance executive functioning in children. Exposure to moderate to vigorous physical activity is a crucial aspect of the relationship between physical activity and executive functioning.

scholarly journals Predictors of Self-Determined Module Choice in a Web-Based Computer-Tailored Diet and Physical Activity Intervention: Secondary Analysis of Data From a Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/15024 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e15024
Author(s):  
Juul M J Coumans ◽  
Catherine A W Bolman ◽  
Anke Oenema ◽  
Lilian Lechner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Motivation To Change ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Background Tailoring an online intervention to participant preferences (eg, by giving participants a choice which modules to follow) may increase engagement in the intervention, motivation for behavioral change, and possibly intervention effects. So far, little is known about what characteristics predict these module choices. Filling this knowledge gap is useful for optimizing program engagement. Objective We investigated participant choice for a dietary and/or physical activity (PA) promotion module in our web-based computer-tailored intervention based on self-determination theory (SDT) and motivational interviewing (MI). Furthermore, we investigated which demographic characteristics, current behavior, psychosocial constructs and constructs from SDT and MI, and program-related variables such as advice on which module to follow were associated with these choices. Methods Observational data were used from the randomized controlled trial MyLifestyleCoach of participants who were randomized into the intervention condition, completed the baseline questionnaire, and made a module choice in the opening session of the intervention. Here, they received advice on their own dietary and PA behavior. At the session’s end, they chose which lifestyle modules they would like to follow (both, diet, PA, or no module). Measurements included demographic information; self-reported diet and PA; and several psychosocial, SDT, and MI constructs. In total, data from 619 Dutch adults (59.6% women; mean age was 51.9 [SD 13.5] years) were analyzed. A stepwise multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate which characteristics are related to module choice; the diet module served as reference category as almost everyone was advised to follow this module. Results Of this sample, 54.8% (339/619) chose to do both the diet and PA module, 25.4% (157/619) chose to follow the diet module, 17.8% (110/619) preferred to follow no module, and 2.1% (13/619) chose to do the PA module only. Furthermore, it was found that older people, those who consumed more fruit, and those who scored lower on importance to change their current diet were more likely to choose no module compared to the diet module. People who had more motivation to change their current PA and those who received strong advice compared with slight advice to follow the diet module were more likely to choose both modules compared with the diet module only. Conclusions The results show that more than half of the sample was interested in following both the diet and PA module in this online lifestyle intervention. Several characteristics were found to be related to module choice. A future challenge is to examine how this knowledge can be used to improve future interventions, such as tailoring (messages or content) on specific groups or examining where and how MI could be used to motivate people to make a certain module choice. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register NL7333; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7333

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