Motivation to Exercise (Motiv2Ex)

The purpose of this study is to understand how to make exercise more attractive to people.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Overweight; Physical Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: High Dose Exercise (300 kcal); Other: Sedentary Option; Other: Low Dose Exercise (150 kcal); Other: No Exercise (0 kcal)

Detailed Description

This investigation will address increased physical activity and will yield empirical evidence to inform developing tools to help individuals make healthy choices regarding physical activity (PA) and maintenance of healthy body weight. Behavioral Choice Theory provides a framework for understanding choices people make and how to shift an individual's choice toward healthier alternatives. The theory holds that choice is based on the relative motivating values of alternatives. One way to shift choice toward a healthier alternative is to increase the relative reinforcing value (RRV), or motivating value, of that alternative. Thus, increasing the RRV of PA behaviors could shift choice towards PA and away from less healthy, sedentary alternatives.

Increasing the RRV of PA may allow PA to compete with more reinforcing, sedentary behaviors, resulting in a shift in behavioral choice. This process is termed "incentive sensitization", which was originally proposed to explain drug addiction. Incentive Sensitization theory posits that the RRV of a behavior is increased through repeated exposures, which produce neuroadaptations that increase craving of the behavior - after repeated exposures to a stimulus, a 'sensitization' or hypersensitivity to the incentive motivational effects of the stimulus follows. Another factor that influences motivation for a behavior is the development of tolerance to unpleasant aspects of that behavior. Opponent-Process Theory would account for the acquisition of motives where the initial reinforcer may be negative - the affect experienced after repeated exposures is opposite to that experienced during the first few presentations. For exercise, this would include tolerance to any discomfort, pain, fatigue and displeasure and a greater positive post-exercise affective response: the affect experienced during and after exercise has a greater motivational significance in PA participation than knowledge and beliefs regarding health benefits. Therefore, the investigators propose that repeated exposures to PA will produce tolerance to unpleasant aspects while increasing the post-exercise affect. Sensitizing PA reinforcement and increasing discomfort tolerance may be associated with increasing the duration and intensity of daily activity. There are likely to be individual differences in sensitization of PA reinforcement and development of discomfort tolerance. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that alter dopamine tone in the central dopaminergic reward system and SNPs associated with altered pain perception may contribute to such individual differences. The investigators anticipate that a moderate PA dose (300 kilocalorie [kcal] expenditure) will produce greater incentive sensitization and tolerance than a low dose (150 kcal) and that SNPs related to central dopamine tone and pain perception may contribute to individual differences in incentive sensitization and changes in physical activity after repeated exposures to physical activity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 93
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Dakota
    • Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States, 58203
      • USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 49 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI within 19-35 kg/m2
• Healthy enough to exercise
• Sedentary (not regularly engaging in exercise more than once per week)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Taking any medications that affect energy expenditure or eating
• Have gained or lost more than 10 pounds over the past 3 months
• Use tobacco
• Pregnant or lactating or plan to become pregnant in the next 6 months
• Have any medical conditions that prevent the individual from safely joining in physical activity
• Have high work-related activity such as construction and farm work

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: High Dose Exercise vs Sedentary Option; Relative Reinforcing Value of high dose exercise (300 kcal expenditure per session) versus sedentary activity will be determined.	Other: High Dose Exercise (300 kcal); Subjects will participate in 3 physical activity sessions per week expending 300 kcal per session and rate their liking of exercise.; Other: Sedentary Option; Subjects will rate their liking of sedentary activities (reading magazines, playing word games, puzzles) as an alternative to exercise.
Other: Low Dose Exercise vs Sedentary Option; Relative Reinforcing Value of low dose exercise (150 kcal expenditure per session) versus sedentary activity will be determined.	Other: Sedentary Option; Subjects will rate their liking of sedentary activities (reading magazines, playing word games, puzzles) as an alternative to exercise.; Other: Low Dose Exercise (150 kcal); Subjects will participate in 3 physical activity sessions per week expending 150 kcal per session and rate their liking of exercise.
Other: No Exercise vs Sedentary Option; Relative Reinforcing Value of no exercise (0 kcal expenditure per session) versus sedentary activity will be determined.	Other: Sedentary Option; Subjects will rate their liking of sedentary activities (reading magazines, playing word games, puzzles) as an alternative to exercise.; Other: No Exercise (0 kcal); Subjects will participate in 3 sessions per week expending 0 kcal per session and rate their liking of exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in relative reinforcing value (RRV) of physical activity	RRV of physical activity will be assessed by evaluating the number of responses (mouse button presses) a subject is willing to complete to gain access to physical activity or a sedentary alternative.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in preference for intense physical activity and tolerance for exercise discomfort	Changes in preference for intense physical activity and tolerance for exercise discomfort will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire (PRETIE-Q).	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in minutes of physical activity, as assessed by activity tracker	Minutes of physical activity will be assessed by having participants wear an Actigraph accelerometer for 7 days (minimum 10 hours per day) on the right hip.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived support for physical activity from friends and family members	Changes perceived support for physical activity from friends and family members will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Social Norms and Support for Exercise Questionnaire.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceptions of how much exercise satisfies autonomy, relatedness, and competence needs	Changes in perceptions of how much exercise satisfies autonomy, relatedness, and competence needs will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in intrinsic, external, interrogated, identified, introjected and amotivation for physical activity	Changes in intrinsic, external, interrogated, identified, introjected and amotivation for physical activity will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise, 3rd Edition (BREQ-3).	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived effort expended during exercise	Changes in perceived effort expended during exercise will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived pain/discomfort during exercise	Changes in perceived pain/discomfort during exercise will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Muscle Pain Questionnaire.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived ability to continue exercise long-term	Changes in perceived ability to continue exercise long-term will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived ability to stick to an exercise routine	Changes in perceived ability to stick to an exercise routine will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Exercise Confidence Survey.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in perceived affective responses to exercise	Changes in perceived affective responses (energy, tiredness, tension, calmness) to exercise will be assessed by self-report questionnaire responses to the Activation Deactivation Adjective Check List (ADCL).	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10
Changes in average daily caloric intake	Changes in average daily calorie intake will be assessed by reporting all foods and beverages consumed over a 3-day period.	Week 0, Week 6, Week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: James N Roemmich, PhD, USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 7, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 11, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): May 14, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 13, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 9, 2019
• Last Verified: August 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: GFHNRC400

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO