Mobile-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among the Elderly

Mobile-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among the Elderly With Chronic Diseases

This study aims to explore the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a mobile phone-based intervention among elderly individuals with chronic diseases.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Mobile Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mobile Exercise Support; Behavioral: Self-help physical activity booklet

Detailed Description

Promoting physical activity among elderly individuals is an increasingly critical public health priority. Regular exercise is essential for maintaining mobility, enhancing mental well-being, and reducing the risk of exacerbating chronic conditions. However, many elderly individuals encounter significant barriers, including physical limitations, lack of motivation, and restricted access to safe environments.

This mobile phone-based intervention seeks to address these challenges by offering accessible support through age-appropriate exercise routines, motivational prompts, and educational content delivered directly to participants' mobile devices. The intervention's primary objective is to reduce sedentary behavior, increase physical activity levels, and ultimately enhance the overall health and well-being of elderly individuals with chronic diseases.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Xue Weng; Phone Number: 3621259; Email: xueweng@bnu.edu.cn

Study Locations

• China
  • Guangdong
    • Zhuhai, Guangdong, China, 519087
      • Beijing Normal University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥60 years and diagnosed with at least one chronic disease
2. Owns a smartphone and is proficient in using WeChat
3. Daily sedentary time ≥6 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

1. recent surgeries, injuries, or other conditions that would prevent simple physical activity
2. hearing, vision, or physical disabilities

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group; Participants in the intervention group will receive three months of personalized support via WeChat, including tailored exercise recommendations, motivational messages, and educational content.	Behavioral: Mobile Exercise Support; Participants receive three months of personalized support via WeChat, including tailored exercise recommendations, motivational messages, and educational content.; Behavioral: Self-help physical activity booklet; Participants receive a self-help booklet to promote physical activity among the elderly. The booklet will include guidelines for safe and effective exercises, tips for staying motivated, and information on the health benefits of regular physical activity.
Active Comparator: Control group; Participants in the control group will receive a self-help booklet designed to promote physical activity among the elderly.	Behavioral: Self-help physical activity booklet; Participants receive a self-help booklet to promote physical activity among the elderly. The booklet will include guidelines for safe and effective exercises, tips for staying motivated, and information on the health benefits of regular physical activity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time spent in sedentary behavior	The time spent sedentary behavior (min/week) in the last 7 days	3 and 6 months follow-up
Acceptability of the Mobile Phone-Based Intervention	Acceptability will be assessed using a series of 4 items from previous studies on mobile physical activity interventions. Participants will rate each statement on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The statements will cover aspects such as ease of use, personal relevance, clarity of information, and overall satisfaction with the intervention.	3 and 6 months follow-up
Perceived Usefulness of the Mobile Phone-Based Intervention	Perceived usefulness will be assessed using 5 items from previous studies on online physical activity interventions. Participants will rate each question on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all useful) to 5 (very useful). The questions will explore how useful participants found the intervention in helping them to (1) increase confidence in engaging in regular physical activity, (2) overcome barriers to physical activity, (3) increase support for participating in physical activity, (4) plan for physical activity, and (5) stay motivated to engage in physical activity.	3 and 6 months follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time spent in zero-time exercise	The time spent physical activity while seated and standing (min/week) in the last 7 days	3 and 6 months follow-up
Exercise self-efficacy	This outcome measure evaluates participants' confidence in their ability to engage in regular physical activity (self-efficacy). Participants will rate their confidence on a single-item scale ranging from 1 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.	3 and 6 months follow-up
Anxiety and depression	Anxiety and depression levels will be assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), a validated tool comprising two items for anxiety and two items for depression. The PHQ-4 score ranges from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating greater severity of anxiety and depression symptoms.	3 and 6 months follow-up
Perceived subjective happiness	This outcome measure assesses participants' subjective happiness using a Self-Reported Happiness scale. Participants will rate their happiness on a single-item scale ranging from 1 (not at all happy) to 5 (extremely happy), with higher scores indicating greater perceived happiness.	3 and 6 months follow-up
Perceived life satisfaction	This outcome measure assesses participants' subjective life satisfaction using a self-reported life satisfaction scale. Participants will rate their life satisfaction on a single-item scale ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater perceived life satisfaction.	3 and 6 months follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beijing Normal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 20, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 22, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): August 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 26, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 22, 2024
• Last Verified: August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Mobile Elderly Exercise

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