Daily Goal Setting to Increase Everyday Physical Activity and Promote Cognitive Health in Midlife

Launched by MILTON S. HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER · Apr 11, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study tests whether a Fitbit-based goal-setting app can help adults who are middle-aged or older increase their everyday light physical activity. It’s a two-group, randomized trial where everyone gets adaptive daily step goals, but the treatment group also gets short-term prompts each day. The study has three parts: a 14-day calibration period to learn each person’s usual activity, a 1-month training period where goals are shown on a Fitbit clockface, and follow-up checks about 1 month and 12 months after training. Researchers will track steps with Fitbit and a small activity monitor (activPAL) and will collect brief cognitive tests and self-care surveys through a smartphone-based platform.

Who can join? Adults aged 30–70 with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher (overweight or obese) who are generally healthy and can safely increase activity. Exclusions include a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases, health conditions that would make more activity unsafe, certain medical issues that prevent a safe exercise test, the inability to walk without help, BMI over 50, plans for procedures over the next year, or not able to wear the devices or use a smartphone. The study is based at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and aims to enroll about 200 people. It is not a drug or medical-device trial, and results are not yet available.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria\*:
• • Between 30 and 70 years of age
• • BMI ≥ 25
• Exclusion Criteria\*:
• • Clinical diagnosis of ADRD or other neurodegenerative disease
• • Health condition contraindicated for increased physical activity
• • Medical conditions or medications that would prohibit participation in an exercise test (e.g., decompensated heart failure, severe aortic stenosis, uncontrolled arrhythmia, and acute coronary syndromes)
• • Limitations in use of a smart phone (e.g., issues with manual dexterity or visual impairment)
• • Inability to walk unassisted
• • BMI \> 50
• • Plan to have surgery or other procedure over the next 12 months that could affect mobility or light intensity physical activity maintenance
• • Concurrent participation in a weight loss, physical activity, or cognitive training trial
• • Failure to comply with Run-in Period activity monitoring (\<70% valid wear days for the Fitbit and activPal)
• • Anyone who will not discontinue the use of their own personal smartwatch during the training period.
• • Anyone who scores below 19 on the MoCA-B would not be randomized after the Run-in Calibration Period.
• • Note: The eligibility criteria are deliberately incomplete to preserve the scientific integrity of the study. These details will be added after study closure.