Planning Actions for Consistent Engagement

Part of paid clinical trials in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Study ID
NCT07447401
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Cognition
  • Habits
  • Physical Activity

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
60 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Non-PA Action Planning — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will create weekly action plans to engage in one of four non-PA health behaviors (i.e., practice good sleep hygiene, make healthy food choices, wash my hands, practice good oral hygiene). Action plans will include specifying when, where, how, with whom participants will engage in the target behavior over the upcoming week.
  • PA Action Planning — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will create weekly action plans to engage in physical activity. Action plans will include specifying when, where, how, with whom participants will engage in physical activity over the upcoming week.
  • Consistency in Action Plans — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will be given six weeks to experiment with different physical activity action plans (changing the contextual features of the plan). In the seventh week, participants will be encouraged to stick with their best plan for the remaining weeks of the intervention. By maintaining the same plan over the remaining weeks of the intervention, this should promote context stability of the planned behavior.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether different approaches to action planning can promote physical activity (PA) habits, increase PA behavior, and improve cognitive functioning in older adults who are currently inactive or insufficiently active. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does a trial-and-error approach to PA action planning lead to greater improvements in PA habits, PA behavior, and cognitive functioning compared to standard PA planning or non-PA planning? 2. Does greater consistency and successful enactment of action plans result in more substantial changes in PA habits, behavior, and cognitive functioning? Researchers will compare three groups to determine which planning approach yields superior outcomes.: 1. Non-PA planning (generic weekly planning) 2. PA planning (weekly planning for PA) 3. PA trial-and-error planning (weekly PA plans followed by preferred plan adoption) Participants will: 1. Wear Fitbit monitors continuously for 9 months to track PA behavior 2. Complete mobile cognitive assessments daily for 7 days before the intervention, monthly during the intervention, and at follow-up 3. Create action plans and report on PA habits, intentions, and plan enactment weekly during the intervention and at follow-up

Key Dates

Start date
Jan 31, 2027
Status verified
Mar 2026
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2028
Completion
Jul 31, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
148 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Experimental: Physical activity trial and error planning group
    Participants in this group will be instructed to create weekly action plans to engage in physical activity. Participants in this condition will be advised to spend 6 weeks trying different action plans each week to see what works best for them and then sticking to their preferred plan for the remaining weeks so their brain can 'learn' these mental cue-behavior associations that underpin habits. Further, participants in this group will be informed of the recommended volume of physical activity based on federal guidelines and instructed to develop action plans to engage in a self-selected physical activity (consistent with low-to-moderate intensity physical activity) that progressively increase in intensity and duration during the 6-month intervention. Participants in this group will receive weekly prompts and reminders to create action plans on their smartphone.
  • Active Comparator: Physical activity planning group
    Participants in this group will be instructed to create weekly action plans to engage in physical activity. Further, participants in this group will be informed of the recommended volume of physical activity based on federal guidelines and instructed to develop action plans to engage in a self-selected physical activity (consistent with low-to-moderate intensity physical activity) that progressively increase in intensity and duration during the 6-month intervention. Participants in this group will receive weekly prompts and reminders to create action plans on their smartphone.
  • Placebo Comparator: Non-physical activity planning group
    The non-physical activity planning group is our control condition, accounting for social contact and attention. Participants in this group will be instructed to create weekly action plans for one of four target health behavior (i.e., practice good sleep hygiene, make healthy food choices, wash my hands, practice good oral hygiene). Participants in this group will receive weekly prompts and reminders to create action plans on their smartphone.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Device-Based Physical Activity from Baseline to 6 Months [ Time Frame: Device-based physical activity will be assessed daily during the 7-day baseline, daily during the 6-month intervention, and daily during the 3-month follow-up period. ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth Carolina27412
Jaclyn Maher
[email protected]
336-256-1379
Jaclyn Maher (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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