Prosocial Behavior and Exercise Among Older Adults

The purpose of this study is to compare two exercise programs to determine how well they help older adults make exercise a regular habit after 9 months.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Physical Function; Health-Related Quality of Life
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Prosocial Behavior Physical Activity (PBPA); Behavioral: Physical Exercise (PE)

Detailed Description

Although only a small percentage of older adults engage in habitual physical activity, previous studies have demonstrated interventions that include cognitive-behavioral strategies can enhance long-term, independent physical activity. In addition, there are episodic charity events, such as charity walks, that attract large numbers of participants of all age ranges to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity. These actions are a form of prosocial behavior, defined as voluntary, intentional behavior that results in benefits for another. The opportunity to help others seems to be a motive in inspiring these individuals to at least engage in one session of moderate physical activity. Thus, the current research project contemplates whether prosocial behavior may be implemented as a viable behavioral incentive for long-term physical activity.

Both the Prosocial Behavior Physical Activity (PBPA) group and the Physical Exercise (PE) group will receive a cognitive-behavioral intervention to teach participants the behavioral skills necessary to engage in long-term (9-month) independent physical activity. Both programs will provide supervised exercise sessions so that participants learn how to safely and effectively engage in physical activity, and both programs will help participants set goals for activity and overcome barriers to exercise. However, in PBPA group, participants will be able to also earn boxes of food for donation to a charity based upon their physical activity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27127
      • Recruiting
      • Wake Forest University School of Medicine
      • Contact: Susan J. Harris; Phone Number: 336-713-4244; Email: sjharris@wfubmc.edu
      • Contact: Carol Massa-Fanale; Phone Number: 336-716-3589; Email: cmassa@wfubmc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Capri G. Foy, PhD, MS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 55 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between 55 and 80 years of age
• Physically underactive (moderate or vigorous physical activity for less than 2 days per week for the preceding 3 months)
• No evidence of any major psychological illness
• Written permission from the participant's primary care physician with specific certification of no severe risk of cardiovascular disease
• Participant resides within a 35-mile radius of the study site
• Participant will remain in the area for the duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Self-reported evidence of cardiovascular disease risk, or documentation by the primary care physician of at least one of the following within the past 5 years:

  • Myocardial infarction (MI)
  • Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
  • Chronic or unstable angina at rest or during physical exertion
  • New York Heart Association (NYHA) Type I through Type IV congestive heart failure
  • Unstable ventricular arrhythmias
  • Cardiovascular surgery (coronary artery or valvular heart disease)
  • Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
  • Intermittent claudication during physical activity
  • Edema in feet
• Self-reported or documented evidence of rheumatoid arthritis
• Self-reported or physician-reported evidence of current cigarette or cigar smoking

• Self-reported treatment for psychiatric illness within the past 5 years:

  • Treatment for major depression or schizophrenia
  • Currently receiving lithium or neuroleptics
  • Hospitalization with the last 5 years for depression, or clinical judgment of treatment for major depression
• Hearing or sight impairments
• Cognitive impairment
• Alcohol consumption greater than 21 drinks per week, or self-reported alcoholism
• Inability to speak or read English
• Judgment of clinical staff
• Current participation in another medical intervention study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PBPA	Behavioral: Prosocial Behavior Physical Activity (PBPA); The PBPA condition involves a center-based cognitive-behavioral intervention to teach participants the behavioral skills to engage in long-term (9-month) independent physical activity; delivered three times a week months 1-3; independent physical activity months 4-9. PBPA participants also earn boxes of food for donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) of Northwest North Carolina based upon their weekly physical activity.
Active Comparator: PE	Behavioral: Physical Exercise (PE); The PE condition is a center-based cognitive-behavioral intervention to teach participants the behavioral skills to engage in long-term (9-month) independent physical activity; delivered three times a week months 1-3; independent physical activity months 4-9.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Self-reported physical activity	Baseline, 3 and 9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Physical function, health-related quality of life	Baseline, 3 and 9 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Capri G. Foy, PhD, MS, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rejeski WJ, Brawley LR, Ambrosius WT, Brubaker PH, Focht BC, Foy CG, Fox LD. Older adults with chronic disease: benefits of group-mediated counseling in the promotion of physically active lifestyles. Health Psychol. 2003 Jul;22(4):414-23. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.22.4.414.
• Rejeski WJ, Foy CG, Brawley LR, Brubaker PH, Focht BC, Norris JL 3rd, Smith ML. Older adults in cardiac rehabilitation: a new strategy for enhancing physical function. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Nov;34(11):1705-13. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200211000-00003.
• Eisenberg N, Miller PA. The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychol Bull. 1987 Jan;101(1):91-119. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 3, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 3, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): September 4, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 2, 2009
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 30, 2009
• Last Verified: June 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: AG0106; 1R21AG027413-01A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)