Exercise Behavior Among Young Adults Study

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Physical Activity

In brief

The rate of adult obesity in the United States has increased more than two times since 1970, and the rate of child-teen obesity has increased by four times. One of the antecedents of obesity is an inactive lifestyle. Exercise has been known to be associated with increases in both physical and mental health by increasing longevity, preventing risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, and hypertension, and increasing self-esteem and overall quality of life. The broad aim of the current study is to investigate the effectiveness of psychoeducational training to increase exercise activity initiation and maintenance in young adults. The goal of this study is to compare three training approaches for college students to increase exercise behavior. One approach provides general information on the different types of exercises and benefits of engaging in exercise behavior after an initial questionnaire assessment session. A second approach includes the general exercise information and questionnaire assessment as well as training on how to create specific goal intentions (i.e., implementation intentions) to aid in exercise initiation. A third approach uses all the components of the second approach but also tests the utility of a personality-informed module by incorporating concepts from the theory of learned industriousness. It is expected that the third approach will be the most effective in helping participants initiate and maintain their exercise activities during the course of the study duration.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02204176

Run by

Wayne State University

People needed

221

Starts

2013-08-01

Expected to finish

2016-05-01

Last updated by the study team

2019-05-03

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 24. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• be currently enrolled in full-time university coursework
• be between 18 and 24 years old
• understand and respond to screening questions in English
• be able to read at a Grade 6 level
• have adequate health, as assessed by having a body mass index between 18.5 and 29.9 (anyone with a BMI of 30+ is considered obese; National Heart, Lung, \& Blood Institute, 2012) to ensure that regular, moderate to intense exercise activity will not negatively affect health
• identify as individuals who have tried to initiate and continue an exercise regimen sometime in the past but have been unable to maintain the activity
• indicate the desire to initiate physical activity at the current time
• be willing to attempt to maintain an exercise schedule during the three-week intervention period to which they will be randomly assigned
• be willing to participate in the 2-month and 6-month follow up periods

You may not qualify if…

• not already be meeting current USDHHS physical activity recommendations (i.e., at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week)
• not have major cognitive impairments (i.e., assessed by whether they can understand and respond adequately to all screening questions)
• not report consuming more than three (women) or four (men) alcoholic drinks per day (as this may interfere with their ability to engage in physical activity and confound study results)
• not be pregnant
• not have children
• not have preexisting physical limitations or recent injuries
• not have major cognitive impairments (i.e., assessed by whether they can understand and respond adequately to all screening questions)

Where it is running

• Wayne State University — Detroit, Michigan, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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