Feasibility Study of an Online Physical Activity Intervention for Youth With Depression

December 22, 2023 updated by: University of Victoria

A Feasibility Study Evaluating an Online Physical Activity Intervention for Young Adults With Low Mood and/or Depression Engaged in Community Primary Clinical Care

Physical activity (PA) has recently been established as both a primary intervention for mild to moderate, and a secondary therapy for moderate to severe Major Depressive Disorder (MDD; Fortier et al., 2020). Those with mental health disorders do not on average achieve recommended levels of PA (Hallgren et al., 2016), and exercise prescription is extremely lacking in clinical care (Stanton, Reaburn, & Happell, 2015; Stanton et al., 2018). Theory-based behavioural interventions have proven to be an effective tool for improving physical activity levels in clinical populations (Glowacki, et al., 2017; Stanton et al., 2015). More research is needed to understand PA intervention effectiveness for MDD patients (Glowacki et al., 2017), support integration of such behavioural treatments with primary care (Lederman et al., 2017), and address growing concerns regarding mental health during the global pandemic and beyond (Boyce, 2021). This community-based study examines the feasibility of a co-designed, 10-week, asynchronous, web-based beta platform PA intervention for patients with experience of low mood and/or mild to moderate depression, and will provide important parameters for a future randomized-controlled trial (RCT). Primary outcome measures will focus on acceptability and feasibility, including recruitment and retention rates. Secondary measures will include physical activity and depression symptom severity. Behavioural predictors of PA are to be evaluated as tertiary outcomes. Questionnaires will include an adapted participant experience measure, Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. This study features a controlled baseline, post-intervention evaluative design with an embedded quantitative process evaluation with a waitlist control. Participants will be young adults with experience of low mood and/or mild to moderate depression, 19-30 years of age, with access to a device with internet, English speaking, living within British Columbia, CAN., and falling below the minimum Canadian recommendations for PA. Study recruitment will primarily be facilitated by multiple youth mental health primary and community care clinics. This study will contribute to understanding of acceptable, efficacious, behaviour-based and mobile health intervention approaches for young adults with depression. It will also provide young people with a platform to share invaluable feedback to direct innovations in their own alternative care and mental health treatment. If outcome benchmarks set based on previous literature are met or exceeded for each of recruitment, retention, and acceptability, and depressive symptoms trend downwards for intervention participants, then a future randomized controlled trial exploring principally mental health outcomes will be recommended.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8P 5C2
        • University of Victoria

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

19 years to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • between the ages of 19-30 years
  • experience of low mood and/or mild to moderate depression (no diagnosis required)
  • report falling below minimum Canadian public health recommendations for PA consistently over the past 6 months
  • report no contraindications to physical activity (based on the completion of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire administered at screening)
  • do not report any manic or psychotic episodes within the past 6 months
  • do not report any substance or alcohol abuse within the past 6 months
  • have access to a device with an internet connection
  • reside in British Columbia currently
  • fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • be young adults, 19-30 years of age,
  • currently reside in British Columbia,
  • self-identify as someone with experience of depression (ranging from low mood and/or depressive symptoms to a formal mild to moderate Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders-V)
  • report no manic episode(s) or psychosis in the past 6 months,
  • fall below the minimum Canadian public health recommendations for PA (Ross et al., 2020) for at least six months prior to screening,
  • have access to a device with internet access, AND
  • English speaking.

No exclusion criteria for sex, gender, medications, race or religion will be applied. There will be no contraindications to PA after screening with the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intervention
An online, asynchronous, self-paced, 10-week long, physical activity intervention.
Behavioral: physical activity
A series of 10 weekly psychoeducational modules including information on psychosocial determinants of physical activity engagement, adherence and maintenance, as well as a number of other behaviour change tools, like reflection activities.
No Intervention: Control
A waitlist control; continue with life/activity as usual. Control participants will receive access to the intervention at 10 weeks following all measurements.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Recruitment Rate
Time Frame: 10 weeks
outcome related to trial feasibility
10 weeks
Retention Rate
Time Frame: 10 weeks
outcome related to trial feasibility
10 weeks
Experience Measure
Time Frame: 10 weeks
outcome related to trial acceptability
10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Depression Severity
Time Frame: 10 weeks
measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (min.=0, max.=27, lower scores indicate fewer symptoms of depression)
10 weeks
Physical Activity Levels
Time Frame: 10 weeks
measured with the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (min.=0, max.=N/A, higher scores indicate increased physical activity)
10 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychosocial Factors Predicting Physical Activity Behaviour
Time Frame: 10 weeks
measured with the Multi-Process Action Control Framework which included various constructs and measurements scales, e.g., affective and instrumental attitude (min.=1, max.=7, higher scores indicate increased positively-valenced attitude; Ajzen 2002; Rhodes and Courneya 2003)
10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Victoria

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Ryan E Rhodes, PhD, University of Victoria
  • Study Director: Aleah B Ross, BSc, University of Victoria

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 22, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 24, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 24, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 18, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 18, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 23, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 26, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 22, 2023

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 21-0301

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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