Evidence-based Intervention to Improve Walking Engagement in El Paso, Texas

March 12, 2026 updated by: University of Texas, El Paso

The investigators will test if the 50,000 for Life (50K4Life) is effective at improving walking engagement in school employees in 30 public schools by delivering a two-phased adaptive intervention to improve walking engagement in school workers in 30 public schools. In Phase 1, all study schools will be randomly assigned to a 50K4Life only, or 50K4Life + SMS Text Messaging group.

In Phase 2, non-responder schools will be randomly assigned to one of two 6-month adaptive treatments: a) an individual-level intervention that includes remote education modules (REM) and one-to-one monthly phone-based coaching, or, b) a school-level intervention that includes group educational sessions, school environmental modifications (floor distance markings, signage in corridors and breakrooms, promotional items), and work time/weekend group walks/hikes. The schools that 50% or more participants who achieve 50,000 steps in one week will continue with the Phase 1 condition. Intervention strategies will be coordinated by health educators and managed using the Pathverse app. Data collection will occur at baseline, 8 weeks (Phase 2 randomization decision point), 8 months (immediate post intervention), 12 months (4 months post-intervention), and 18 months (10 months post-intervention) for a total of 18 months of study participation.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Mexican Americans who live in the U.S.-Mexico border region suffer disproportionately from preventable cardiometabolic diseases. Regular brisk walking is an effective measure in regulating metabolic processes and preventing disease. Employer-based wellness programs are promising strategies to address this public health problem because of the opportunity to take advantage of workplace environments to improve opportunities for walking engagement while also addressing barriers associated with inactivity. Employer-based walking programs have not been widely tested on the U.S.-Mexico border. A clustered Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of an employer-based walking challenge intervention- 50,000 for Life (50K4Life)- in improving brisk walking engagement (at least 7,000 steps/day) among school district employees. The proposed intervention strategies are based on the walking interventions conducted by the Principal Investigator(s) in El Paso and behavioral, environmental and worksite interventions by the Co-Investigators. The trial will include 30 randomly selected public schools with predominantly Mexican American employees from El Paso County area school districts. The intervention strategies in 50K4Life will be in two phases: 1) 50K4Life vs. 50K4Life + SMS text messaging and 2) Individual vs. School level adaptation for campuses with a low response to the initial intervention phase. The investigators hypothesize that walking challenges with multilevel capacity building and adaptations based on intervention response will lead to improved adherence to PA guidelines. This proposed socioecological model-based study leverages resources through Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) from Texas and expertise in employer-based workplace interventions from the University of Georgia (UGA) based on the partner's accumulative work to address the disparity in PA and advance health equity in the Mexican American population. As part of the intervention evaluation, the PIs will conduct a process evaluation and cost-effectiveness to provide insight into cost and scalability. This study will provide needed information on optimizing the implementation of evidence-based behavioral interventions to improve walking engagement among Mexican Americans living in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

406

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 Contact

  • Name: Jennifer J Salinas, Ph.D.,LMSW
  • Phone Number: 915-747-7292
  • Email: jsalinas7@utep.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • El Paso, Texas, United States, 79968
        • Recruiting
        • University of Texas at El Paso
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Jennifer J Salinas, Ph.D., LMSW
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • A school is eligible if it is located within one of the four target school districts
  • adult 18 years or older
  • full-time school-based school district employee
  • not pregnant and able to walk without physical limitations or assistive device
  • willing to wear our Fitbit tracking device or use their own tracking device for 18 months
  • own a smartphone
  • willingness to use a personal smartphone for tracking activity related to the Fitbit tracker, access online intervention content, and receive text messages.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Works at more than one school
  • Does not work on a district school campus
  • schools that previously participated in walking challenges

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: Sequential Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Phase 1. 50K4LIfe Only
Walking Challenge only
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Experimental: Phase 1. 50K4Life + SMS Text Messages
Walking Challenge + SMS Messages
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: SMS Text Messaging
In this intervention, participants will received notifications onto the Pathverse app
Experimental: Phase 2. 50K4LIfe + Individual
Walking Challenge + Individual level interventions.
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: Individual
In this Phase 2 individual-level intervention, participants will receive remote education modules and one-to-one monthly phone-based coaching.
Experimental: Phase 2. 50K4LIfe + School
Walking Challenge + School-level interventions
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: School
In this Phase 2 school-level intervention, participants will receive group educational sessions, school environmental modifications (floor distance markings, signage in corridors and breakrooms, promotional items), and participate in work time/weekend group walks/hikes.
Experimental: Phase 2. 50K4Life + SMS Text Messages + Individual
Walking Challenge + SMS Messages + Individual level interventions
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: SMS Text Messaging
In this intervention, participants will received notifications onto the Pathverse app
Behavioral: Individual
In this Phase 2 individual-level intervention, participants will receive remote education modules and one-to-one monthly phone-based coaching.
Experimental: Phase 2. 50K4Life + SMS Text Messages + Schools
Walking Challenge + SMS Messages + School-level interventions
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: SMS Text Messaging
In this intervention, participants will received notifications onto the Pathverse app
Behavioral: School
In this Phase 2 school-level intervention, participants will receive group educational sessions, school environmental modifications (floor distance markings, signage in corridors and breakrooms, promotional items), and participate in work time/weekend group walks/hikes.
Experimental: Phase 2. Walking Challenge only
Participants meeting the step goal in Phase 1(WC only) will continue into Phase 2 without change.
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Experimental: Phase 2. Walking Challenge + SMS Text Messages
Participants meeting their step goal in Phase 1 (WC + SMS Text Messages) will continue into Phase 2 without change.
Behavioral: 50K4LIfe
This intervention will consist of the Walking Challenge only.
Behavioral: SMS Text Messaging
In this intervention, participants will received notifications onto the Pathverse app

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Daily Step Count
Time Frame: Daily, Weekly up to 18 months.
The Pathverse app synced with an activity tracker will be used to collect daily step counts. The goal is for teams (schools) to have 50% of their staff with an average weekly steps > 50,000.
Daily, Weekly up to 18 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CVF)
Time Frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12, months 18 months up to 18 months.
The heart rate/minute at the end of the YMCA 3-minute submaximal bench-stepping test will be used to assess the level of CVF associated with increased PA.
Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12, months 18 months up to 18 months.
Weight
Time Frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.
Weight (to the nearest 0.1 kg) will be collected using a portable scale
Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.
Height
Time Frame: Baseline
Height (measured to the nearest 0.1 cm) will be obtained using a stadiometer.
Baseline
Body Mass Index
Time Frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.
Body Mass Index (BMI) will be calculated as weight (kg)/height squared (m2).
Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.
Waist Circumference
Time Frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.
Waist circumference will be measured at the midway between the iliac crests and the lower ribs.
Baseline, 8 weeks, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months up to 18 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Texas, El Paso

Collaborators

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer J Salinas, Ph.D., LMSW, University of Texas, El Paso

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 (Actual)

September 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 26, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

May 13, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 12, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • U01MD019289 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 7U01MD019289-02 (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

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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