WalkLink: Internet-based Walking Program (WalkLink)

August 12, 2015 updated by: Liza Rovniak, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

WalkLink:Internet-based Walking Program for Cardiovascular Disease Risk-Reduction

The investigators propose a randomized controlled trial based on the Social Networks for Activity (SNAP) Model to evaluate: (1) the effectiveness of an internet-based fitness walking program delivered to patients with risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke; and (2) the contribution of social support networks to enhancing the effectiveness of the internet-based fitness walking program. The investigators will recruit 308 patients who are sedentary and have risk factors for cardiovascular disease and randomly assign them to one of the following groups: 1. Internet-based fitness walking program (WalkLink); 2. Internet-based fitness walking program plus additional social network intervention (WalkLink+); and 3. Minimal treatment control.

The primary specific aims of this study are to:

  1. Evaluate the effects of WalkLink and WalkLink+ relative to a minimal treatment control group on change in: physical activity, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, body composition, and body mass index (BMI), from baseline to posttest, and at 6-month follow-up.
  2. Compare the differential effectiveness of WalkLink+ to WalkLink on change in: physical activity, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, body composition and BMI from baseline to posttest, and at 6-month follow-up.
  3. Evaluate the mediator and moderator effects of selected individual-level self-management skills (goal setting, planning, self-monitoring), social support variables (number of activity partners, social cues for walking, social praise/reinforcement), and physical-ecological variables (neighborhood walkability, physical cues for walking) on WalkLink and WalkLink+ treatment outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

308

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
        • Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

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

Ages Eligible for Study

35 years to 64 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Sedentary, defined as less than 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity
  • Between the ages of 35 and 64
  • Able to speak English
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Able to participate in moderate-intensity physical activity (e.g., moderate pace walking)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No access to home or private work computer with Internet access
  • Body mass index (BMI) greater than 39.9
  • Systolic blood pressure > 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > 100 mm Hg
  • Bone, joint, or foot problems that interfere with walking
  • Diabetes, pulmonary, or cardiovascular disease
  • Consume 5 or more drinks of alcohol a day
  • Currently pregnant
  • Not living within the preselected study neighborhoods or plan to move from the local area during the study period

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Enhanced Usual Care Group
Participants received weekly emailed tips of the week to provide support for walking.
Behavioral: Group
Walking programs with various levels of support will be administered to determine which one is most effective.
Other Names:
  • Enhanced Usual Care
  • WalkLink
  • WalkLink+
Experimental: WalkLink Group
Participants received weekly emailed tips of the week, plus evidence-based online fitness walking program.
Behavioral: Group
Walking programs with various levels of support will be administered to determine which one is most effective.
Other Names:
  • Enhanced Usual Care
  • WalkLink
  • WalkLink+
Experimental: WalkLink+ Group
Participants received weekly emailed tips, plus evidence-based online fitness walking program, plus online/in-person social network intervention.
Behavioral: Group
Walking programs with various levels of support will be administered to determine which one is most effective.
Other Names:
  • Enhanced Usual Care
  • WalkLink
  • WalkLink+

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Moderate Vigorous Activity
Time Frame: 9 months
Change in Moderate Vigorous Activity will be assessed using Actigraph accelerometers
9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Health Risk Factors
Time Frame: 9 months
Aerobic fitness, blood pressure, body mass index, body composition
9 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Environmental Factors
Time Frame: 9 months
Built and social environment factors
9 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Liza Rovniak, PhD, MPH, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

August 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 10, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 10, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

June 11, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 13, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 12, 2015

Last Verified

August 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB-31708

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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