Effects of the Population-Based "10,000 Steps Duesseldorf" Intervention for Promoting Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Adults: Protocol for a Nonrandomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA), which translates to approximately 7000 to 10,000 steps per day for adults. In Germany, less than half of the population in this age range meets this recommendation, highlighting the need for population-based intervention approaches for promoting daily PA. OBJECTIVE: The complex community-based PA intervention "10,000 Steps Ghent," which was originally developed in Belgium and was shown to be effective for PA promotion, has been adapted for implementation and evaluation in 2 German cities. The original Belgian study is currently being replicated, and we aim to examine the effectiveness of the adapted intervention among adults living in intervention city districts in Duesseldorf when compared with those living in control city districts in Wuppertal, over the course of 1 year. METHODS: A controlled intervention trial examining the effects of an intervention addressing multiple levels (eg, individual level: website; organizational level: PA promotion in companies; community level: media campaigns and environmental changes) is being conducted. PA and various secondary outcomes will be assessed in 2 random samples of adults aged 25 to 75 years (n=399 in each city) at baseline and after 1 year. RESULTS: Funding for this study was obtained in March 2020. Recruitment for this study and baseline data collection were conducted from May 2021 to March 2022 (as of March 2022, 626 participants were enrolled in the study). The intervention will be implemented in Duesseldorf for 1 year from April 2022 onward, and follow-up assessments will be conducted, starting in May 2023 (until September 2023). Data analysis will be performed in fall 2023, and the results will be published in spring 2024. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first research project (currently underway in Germany) that is aimed at replicating the effects of a complex intervention for PA promotion that was previously shown to be effective in another European country. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00024873; https://tinyurl.com/4c9e8azh. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/39175.

Feasibility of a Social Network-Based Physical Activity Intervention Targeting Vocational School Students: A Pilot Study.

Globally, four out of five adolescents do not meet the recommendations for physical activity (PA). Moving large segments of young adults from inactivity to activity is essential to reach the global target of a 15% relative reduction in inactivity by 2030 worldwide. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of a social network-based PA intervention (WALK2gether) in vocational school students. Fourteen students from one vocational school in the city of Duesseldorf were instructed to walk ten thousand steps per day over six weeks. Applied behavior change techniques were self-monitoring of steps and social comparison via a pedometer app and a Facebook group. Indicators of feasibility were documented. The intervention was minimally resource intensive, with a total of 92 h spent by the research staff. The recruitment rate was 19.2% and loss-to-follow up 28.6%. Our data revealed no significant change in the target behavior PA from baseline to follow-up. The target population did not interact in the Facebook group, while a moderate use of the pedometer app was noted. Although the results ought to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, the findings suggest that the WALK2gether intervention was partially feasible, but not appropriate for the target group.

Feasibility of smartphone-supported, combined physical and cognitive activities in the Neighbourhood for stimulating social participation of the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Combining smartphone-assisted group activities in the neighbourhood and training in physical and cognitive skills may offer the potential to promote social participation and connectedness of older adults. This non-controlled proof-of-concept, retrospectively registered study aimed to determine the feasibility of such an intervention approach, including its evaluation. METHODS: In two consecutive six-month intervention cycles, 39 community-dwelling adults were provided with weekly smartphone, physical and cognitive training by two tutors. Using a specifically designed app, the participants were also encouraged to join and later self-organise physically and cognitively stimulating activities related to hot spots in their Bochum neighbourhood. Indicators of feasibility were documented. RESULTS: The recruitment and assessments took 3 hours per participant. Excluding smartphone support, the preparation and the implementation of the intervention amounted to nine person-hours per week. Six participants dropped out, and 13 did not complete one or more assessments. The participants attended 76 ± 15% of the weekly training sessions. The instructors deemed the programme feasible, but familiarisation with the smartphone and the app was very time-consuming. Twenty-seven of 29 participants reported high overall satisfaction, and 22 agreed that the programme helped them to establish social contacts. The smartphones attracted substantial interest and were used frequently, despite mixed satisfaction with the project-specific app. From baseline to follow-up, the six-minute walking distance, lower extremity strength and moderate to vigorous physical activity, as well as quality of life, were preserved at a high level, while balance performance was significantly improved. Of the 11 tests related to cognitive functioning, 4 tests (a memory test, the Stroop test and 2 tests of verbal fluency) indicated significant improvement. No moderate or serious adverse events occurred in relation to the assessments or the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The multimodal approach seems safe and feasible and offers the potential to promote social connectedness, bonds in the residential neighbourhood and smartphone competency, as well as to preserve or improve physical and cognitive functions. Adaptations of the intervention and of the outcome assessments may contribute to better assessment and exploitation of the potential of this approach in a future study involving socially, physically and cognitively less active elderly persons.

Effectiveness of Social Media-Based Interventions for the Promotion of Physical Activity: Scoping Review.

A global target of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to reduce physical inactivity among all adults and adolescents by approximately fifteen percent by 2030. Social media could have an impact in this effort because of its enormous reach, potentially addressing underserved populations in need for physical activity (PA) interventions. This scoping review provides a broad overview of social media-based interventions and systematically maps the evidence regarding their effectiveness for PA promotion and other health outcomes. Scopus and Medline were searched using the terms "physical activity" and "social media" and the names of key social media platforms. Following the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews, abstracts and full texts were screened for eligibility. In total, 12,321 publications were identified and 53 met the inclusion criteria. The use of Facebook was most prevalent in PA interventions, followed by study-specific platforms. More than one third of the studies revealed positive effects regarding the promotion of PA. Additionally, social media-based interventions positively affected other physical dimensions of health (e.g., weight or blood pressure). Results pertaining to feasibility were heterogeneous. Social media seems to be a promising tool for increasing PA at the population level. Future studies should take the abundance of platforms into account and select social media platforms consciously.