Impact of Two Methods of Listening to Music During Exercise on Perceived Exertion and Overall Physical Activity

The purpose of the study is to compare two different methods of listening to music while performing aerobic exercise: synchronous music listening vs. asynchronous music listening. Synchronous music listening while exercising is a learned activity where the participant moves his or her body in synchrony with the beat of the music, similar to dancing or to participating in a group exercise (aerobics) class. Our hypothesis is that synchronous music listening reduces the level of perceived exertion to the exercise and motivates the subject to exercise more often. This study randomly assigns 46 subjects, age 20-55 years old to either a control group of listening to their own favorite music in an asynchronous fashion or to an intervention group of listening to prepared music in a synchronous fashion over a six week period.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sedentary Lifestyle
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Active teaching in synchronous listening to music while exercising

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 46
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States, 20007
      • Georgetown University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 55 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult employees of Georgetown University (age 20-55) who listen to music while exercising.

Exclusion Criteria::

• A major medical condition that would prevent the participant from undertaking regular exercise
• The use of beta blocker medication
• Participation in varsity sports

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Control Group; Subjects will be given a 60 minute lecture on the benefits of regular exercise and how music can enhance the exercise experience. Subjects will be individually instructed how to use the Precor elliptical trainer at the Yates fitness center while listening to music. Subjects are instructed to exercise using the elliptical trainer for periods of 45 -55 minutes at a time as frequently as they like with a minimum frequency of once per week. Subjects will also be encouraged to exercise regularly by walking, jogging or engaging in other forms of physical activity during the intervention period. A fitness attendant will be on hand to supervise their exercise activity, but will not give specific advice how to exercise, other than to make sure they are exercising safely.	Behavioral: Active teaching in synchronous listening to music while exercising; Subjects will be instructed to exercise while listening to four audio tutorials that are stored on their MP-3 player. These tutorials guide the subject on how to synchronize his or her body movements to the beat of the music.
Experimental: Intervention Arm; Subjects will be instructed to exercise while listening to four audio tutorials that are stored on their MP-3 player. These tutorials guide the subject on how to synchronize his or her body movements to the beat of the music.	Behavioral: Active teaching in synchronous listening to music while exercising; Subjects will be instructed to exercise while listening to four audio tutorials that are stored on their MP-3 player. These tutorials guide the subject on how to synchronize his or her body movements to the beat of the music.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) from baseline to final test at 6 weeks intervention	6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Difference in exercise-related energy expenditure over six weeks between to intervention and control groups	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Georgetown University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2009
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 8, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 8, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): December 9, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 23, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2010
• Last Verified: December 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: exercise; music; synchronous; heartbeat; tunes
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2008-316