PA Moves Trial - PCP Participants

Increasing Physical Activity in Rural Pennsylvanians: PCP Participants

The purpose of this voluntary research study is to determine the impact of an ECHO intervention on the likelihood that rural primary care providers (PCP) will refer their physically inactive patients to be more active.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Receive ECHO training; Behavioral: Offered ECHO training in year 5

Detailed Description

People living in rural areas are diagnosed and die from cancer at higher rates than people living in cities. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk and occurrence of a variety of cancers, including bladder, breast, colon, endometrial, gastric, kidney, and prostate cancers. Being inactive can cause over 10% of breast and colon cancer cases.

Compared to people living in cities, people living in rural areas tend to be less physically active. They're also more likely to be overweight/obese or have diabetes. Adults who are overweight, obese, or diabetic often have changes in the way their bodies deal with insulin, glucose metabolism, and inflammation. Physical activity is thought to reduce the risk of cancer by improving these issues over time.

PCPs and their staff can identify a patient's need for more physical activity, but may not have the time or resources to give advice or assistance. We have set up a telephone-based physical activity coaching program, called the MoveLine, to give inactive patients advice and assistance in becoming more physically active.

The purpose of this study is to determine if an ECHO intervention will impact the likelihood that PCPs will refer patients to the MoveLine for physical activity coaching.

Approximately 32-48 providers will take part in this research study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
      • Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15219
      • UPMC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Primary care providers or adjunct faculty from Primary Health Network (PHN) or UPMC clinics serving rural populations
2. Must be able to provide and understand informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Primary care providers or adjunct faculty NOT from PHN or UPMC clinics

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

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active Intervention; PCP participants in the practice cohort or the intervention group will receive the ECHO46 intervention via real-time, interactive videoconferencing through Zoom sessions held once weekly for 4 weeks (4 sessions total) at regularly scheduled times convenient to providers. Session topics will focus on training PCP participants to assess, advise, and refer patients to be more physically active, as well as provide evidence-based strategies they can use to supplement and sustain their communication efforts.	Behavioral: Receive ECHO training; Active Intervention
Active Comparator: Delayed Intervention; PCP participants will be offered the intervention in year 5.	Behavioral: Offered ECHO training in year 5; Delayed Intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Likelihood of patient referral	Percentage of participating primary care providers referring their patients to a community-level, telephone-based physical activity counseling service assessed through the EMR of their participating patients	Through study completion, an average of 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
PAQ-M	The 11-question Morgenstern Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ-M) is a self-report of physical activity resulting from recreational activities, exercises, home or work activities, and chores.	Baseline intervention group vs. Baseline delayed intervention group
Estimated average metabolic equivalents expended daily	Daily metabolic equivalents collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline
Estimated metabolic equivalents expended weekly	Weekly metabolic equivalents collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph, expressed in hours/week	1 week at baseline
Time in Sleep	Weekly time in sleep collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline
Sedentary Time	Weekly sedentary time collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline
Low physical activity	Weekly low physical activity collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline
Moderate physical activity	Weekly moderate physical activity collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline
Vigorous physical activity	Weekly vigorous physical activity collected using an accelerometer from Actigraph	1 week at baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 21, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 10, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 31, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): April 8, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 9, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Motor Activity; Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY22110036; R01CA268017 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

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

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No