A Community-based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners

The present study aims to initially test a community dog walking intervention that addresses individual, interpersonal and community factors associated with dog walking. The study will be conducted in two cities, Worcester and Lowell, as a collaboration between investigators from UMass Medical School and UMass-Lowell.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sedentary
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Community-based social networking intervention

Detailed Description

This is a group randomized trial where 8 communities in Worcester and Lowell (4 per city) will be randomly assigned to the 6-month dog walking intervention or a standard, self-help, print-based physical activity control condition. Dog owners (N=120; 15 per community) will be recruited. The intervention includes a social networking website, monthly newsletters, twice monthly neighborhood dog walks and community events. The intervention will: 1) educate owners about the benefits of dog walking to themselves and their dog, 2) teach strategies for regular dog walking, 3) teach dog walking tips and provide dog training seminars, 4) promote self-monitoring and goal setting for dog walking, 5) provide social networking opportunities for dog owners and 6) promote a sense of community via participation in neighborhood dog walks and community events. Intervention feasibility will be assessed by measures of implementation success, including recruitment and retention rates, website use, intervention satisfaction and attendance at neighborhood walks and community events. Initial efficacy will be assessed via change in weekly steps measured via a pedometer from baseline to 6-months after baseline.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 107
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Lowell, Massachusetts, United States, 01854
      • University of Massachusetts Lowell
    • Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, 01655
      • University of Massachusetts Medical Schol

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eligible participants will own a dog that is in good health and considered a household pet, be a Worcester or Lowell resident, be aged > 21 years old and have home internet access. Participants with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or other chronic health condition are eligible with permission from their PCP to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants will be excluded for any of the following:

1. Inability or unwillingness to give informed consent
2. Plans to move out of the area within the study period
3. Participated in a focus group during the developmental phase
4. Another household member is participating in the study
5. Pregnant or planning a pregnancy in the next six months
6. Condition that inhibits exercise (e.g., unable to walk unaided, or cannot walk 1/4 mile without stopping)
7. Incapable of engaging in physical activity as assessed by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
8. Self-report engaging in > 150 minutes of moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity per week.
9. The participant's dog has a history of biting a human or has not received a rabies vaccination.

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: American Heart Association; Participants will receive handouts on increasing physical activity derived from the American Heart Association materials on increasing physical activity.	Behavioral: Community-based social networking intervention; Participation in this study lasts for 7 months and includes a baseline visit, an orientation visit, the 6 month intervention, and a 6 month assessment visit.
Experimental: Dog Walking; The 6-month dog walking intervention involves 5 components to address the individual, interpersonal and community levels of the socio-ecological model: newsletters, pedometers, social networking website, neighborhood dog walks, and invitations to community events.	Behavioral: Community-based social networking intervention; Participation in this study lasts for 7 months and includes a baseline visit, an orientation visit, the 6 month intervention, and a 6 month assessment visit.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
feasibility	Feasibility will be assessed by implementation success, including recruitment and retention rates, website use, intervention satisfaction and attendance at neighborhood walks and community events.	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weekly steps	Pedometers that record 7-days of data will be used to measure steps at baseline and 6 months	baseline and 6 months
weekly dog walking minutes	Self-reported minutes of dog walking measured using the DAPA tool.	baseline and 6 months
social support for walking	Self-reported social support for walking	baseline and 6 months
sense of community	self-reported sense of community	baseline and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Worcester
• Collaborators: University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Krisitin Schneider, Ph.D., Rosalind Franklin Medical School

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Schneider KL, Murphy D, Ferrara C, Oleski J, Panza E, Savage C, Gada K, Bozzella B, Olendzki E, Kern D, Lemon SC. An online social network to increase walking in dog owners: a randomized trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015 Mar;47(3):631-9. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000441.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): May 8, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 15, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 11, 2013
• Last Verified: April 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: NIH 5 UL1RR031982-02