WalkMore Walking Interventions for Overweight/Obese Postmenopausal Women

Title: Comparative Effectiveness of Pedometer-Based Walking Interventions: WalkMore

The WalkMore study will help find out how walking interventions can help overweight/obese postmenopausal women with increased risk of cardiovascular disease lower their blood pressure.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Blood Pressure; Over Weight; Postmenopausal Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Basic Intervention; Behavioral: Enhanced Pedometry; Behavioral: Control Group

Detailed Description

Baseline assessment, then a three month intervention or control condition, followed by another assessment at the end of the study. Participants will be screened for blood pressure, height, weight, and the distance around the waist. Participants who meet the eligibility criteria will be given a pedometer to log steps for one week. During visit 2, participants will return the pedometer, and are able to self-monitor appropriately, they will be given an accelerometer to wear for one week.

Pedometry:

Participants will wear a small device which will measure the amount of steps accumulated for 7 days during the first week of the run-in period and again at follow-up (Control group will not perform follow-up pedometry).

Accelerometry:

Participants will be asked to wear a small device similar to a pedometer attached to a belt at the hip to measure physical activity levels for 7 days during the second week of the run-in period and again at the week prior to follow-up.

Assessment Visits (Baseline and 3 Months):

Blood pressure, brachial ultrasound (measure of the health of the artery), blood draw (fasting blood glucose and insulin), height, body weight, and waist measurement will be measured at the beginning of the main study and again after the 3-month period.

Brachial Artery Ultrasound:

An ultrasound is a procedure that uses sound waves to create a picture. The brachial artery ultrasound measures how elastic the arteries are and the thickness of the lining of the major blood vessel in the upper arm (the brachial artery). After resting for fifteen minutes, an ultrasound probe will be placed over the brachial artery in the elbow area on the non-dominant arm. A blood pressure cuff will be inflated around the forearm for five minutes to reduce blood flow. When the cuff is deflated, the ultrasound will be continued for five more minutes to observe the blood flowing back into the arm.

Blood Draw:

A fasting blood draw will occur to obtain fasting glucose and insulin.

Walking Gait:

Participants will walk across a 16 foot computerized floor mat, which will measure walking speed. After a couple practice walks, the participant will be asked to walk 2 times across the mat at 6 different self-selected paces: very slow, slow, preferred/normal, fast, very fast, and as quickly as possible (without running). The participant will be able to rest as needed. The computerized mat will measure walking speed and other elements associated with the pace at which the participant walks.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 115
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Louisiana
    • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70808
      • Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 45 years to 74 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Woman between 45-74 years of age
• Have not had a menstrual period for at least 12 months
• Are not regularly physically active (self-reported non-exerciser for previous 6 months)
• Have a body mass index (BMI) between 25-45 kg/m2
• Have high normal blood pressure or (systolic pressure of 130-179 mmHg or a diastolic pressure of 85-99 mmHg)
• Not limited in your ability to walk
• Understand these criteria
• Are willing to provide informed consent
• Willing to be randomized to either type of walking intervention or a control group being studied, and are willing to follow the protocol for the group to which they have been assigned

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have a past history and/or physical examination or laboratory findings of a medical condition including (but not limited to):
• Have any medical condition or disease that is life-threatening or that can interfere with or be aggravated by exercise
• Have been diagnosed with diabetes
• Blood pressure is greater than 179 mmHg systolic or 99 mmHg diastolic.
• Participating in another research study which may effect the results of WalkMore

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Basic Pedometry Intervention; Basic pedometry intervention: Participants will have a goal of obtaining 10,000 steps/day (with no direction with regards to walking intensity/speed/cadence)	Behavioral: Basic Intervention; Participants will have the goal of obtaining 10,000 steps/day. In addition, participants will attend a meeting once a week with study staff, during which pedometers will be checked, and staff will provide a behavioral intervention to improve physical activity levels; Other Names: Pedometry
Experimental: Enhanced Pedometry Intervention; Enhanced pedometry Intervention: Participants will have the goal of obtaining 10,000 steps/day and at least 30 minutes in moderate intensity (i.e., at a cadence of at least 100 steps/min);	Behavioral: Enhanced Pedometry; Intensity Enhanced Pedometry: Participants will have the goal of obtaining 10,000 steps/day at least 30 minutes in moderate intensity (i.e., at a cadence of at least 100 steps/min). In addition, participants will attend a meeting once a week with study staff, during which pedometers will be checked, and the staff will provide a behavioral intervention to improve physical activity levels.
Placebo Comparator: Control Group; Control group: Will maintain their usual activity and return for follow-up measures	Behavioral: Control Group; Maintain usual physical activity, and return for follow-up measures.; Other Names: No Pedometry

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Resting systolic blood pressure	Measured in the seated position using AHA blood pressure measurement guidelines	3 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Resting diastolic blood pressure	Diastolic blood pressure is measured in the seated position in accordance with AHA guidelines	3 Months
Accelerometry	An Accelerometry is a device that measures the amount of physical activity.	3 Months
Brachial Ultrasound	Brachial Ultrasound is a measurement of the health of the artery, which measures the ability of the brachial artery to dilate.	3 Months
Waist Circumference	Waist Circumference is the distance measured around the waist	3 Months
Walking gait	Walking gait is evaluated through the use of an electronic mat, which measures walking speed and other elements of gait.	3 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center
• Collaborators: American Heart Association
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Tudor-Locke C, Schuna JM, Swift DL, Dragg AT, Davis AB, Martin CK, Johnson WD, Church TS. Evaluation of Step-Counting Interventions Differing on Intensity Messages. J Phys Act Health. 2020 Jan 1;17(1):21-28. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2018-0439.
• Tudor-Locke C, Swift DL, Schuna JM Jr, Dragg AT, Davis AB, Martin CK, Johnson WD, Church TS. WalkMore: a randomized controlled trial of pedometer-based interventions differing on intensity messages. BMC Public Health. 2014 Feb 15;14:168. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-168.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 18, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 24, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): January 27, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 15, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 13, 2022
• Last Verified: September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; walking; sedentary behavior
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: PBRC 11018