Together we Move: A Multi-component Intervention to Increase Physical Activity for Ethnic Minority Older Adults

Implementation will be conducted at a single site, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England (CCA)). All subjects will consent to participate prior to continuing with study involvement as documented below.

Recruitment and Consent:

A convenience sample of a maximum of 60 participants (30 people per arm) will be recruited by placing ads in local newspapers, flyers at CBOs, local businesses, WeChat, and word of mouth. Interested individuals will call a dedicated voicemail box at Boston College and leave their contact information. A trained, bilingual member of the research team will contact interested individuals to obtain verbal consent for administration of the preliminary screening tool. If preliminary inclusion criteria are met, participants will be invited to an in-person secondary screening, where if deemed eligible to participate, signed informed consent for overall study participation will be obtained by a trained member of the study team in the participants' preferred language of communication (Mandarin or English). A $50 gift card will be offered to all enrolled participants.

Study methods:

Participation: After the consenting and initial (baseline) survey administration, assignment to the experimental or control group will be determined using a randomization list generated by a random number generator in R software. Both groups will meet on separate days and times to avoid contamination effects.

All participants will attend an orientation session to provide hands-on training on using the FitBit, and social networking platform (SNS) (as applicable).

A 2-week tech calibration period with one-on-one training with study staff will allow participants to acclimate to the FitBit, learn to use its features, and ask questions. Baseline FitBit data will be collected and monitored via Fitabase (a widely used and secure, research data management platform specific to FitBit data). This baseline data will allow the PI to generate an individualized walking prescription.

After this instructional trial period, all participants will be instructed to use the step-tracker's features to monitor their daily steps and progress towards meeting their individualized walking goals. All participants will attend 8 weekly educational sessions at the community center. Each day, those in the Enhanced Walking condition will receive 1-3 motivational messages related to physical activity and health; a monitoring protocol and database to document SNS interactions will be established. The Walking Only condition will not receive motivational messages through the SNS platform.

Surveys will be administered at study completion (8 weeks) and follow-up (12 weeks). FitBit data will be continually monitored throughout the study duration. A weekly adverse questionnaire will be administered by study staff in-person or via telephone when appropriate.

Follow-up outcomes: At the end of the study, participants from the experimental arm will be asked to attend a post-participation session where they will participate in a semi-structured interview to glean their experiences in using the SNS platform to promote physical activity.

Semi-structured interview questions will be posed to all clients who volunteer to participate in an interview session as part of the study. The interviews will be held at 4 weeks after the end of the study period. Interview questions and prompts were developed through a phenomenological lens to allow clients to elicit their own responses and experiences in the study. The interview guide will frame this discussion, and participant responses may be probed to gain further clarity or insight. The interviews will be audio recorded by study staff. Study staff will also write field notes to document client responses and other observations to supplement and provide context for the transcripts.