Active You: Feasibility of a Unique Physical Activity Program to Prevent Diabetes and Heart Disease

Summary

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Description

Currently, only 20% of American adults attain the minimum 150 mins/week of MVPA recommended by the 2018 PA Guidelines for Americans. The low levels of PA are associated with the rising prevalence of obesity and T2D. Individuals who are overweight/obese need a higher volume of PA (~200-300 mins of we...

Currently, only 20% of American adults attain the minimum 150 mins/week of MVPA recommended by the 2018 PA Guidelines for Americans. The low levels of PA are associated with the rising prevalence of obesity and T2D. Individuals who are overweight/obese need a higher volume of PA (~200-300 mins of weekly MVPA) to mitigate cardiometabolic risk, but they face complex multifaceted barriers that decrease their engagement in PA. Multiple studies exploring barriers and facilitators of PA among these individuals have emphasized the need for interventions that address weight-related impediments (e.g., stigma, fitness) and environmental barriers such as limited access to fitness facilities. In the last 2 decades web-based PA programs have been developed to address these barriers and to provide more interactive resources than those typically mailed to participants in home-based programs. In a recent analytic review of web-based PA interventions, 44 out of 72 studies reported significant increases in PA. However, 10 out of 13 studies focusing on adults who are overweight/obese reported no significant improvements in PA. Most of these studies employed interventions that are typically used in the general population (e.g., learning modules, email feedback, chat sessions) without adapting them to address barriers that are unique to individuals who are overweight/obese. Formative studies and social cognitive theory supports the need for PA interventions that feature individuals who are overweight/obese engaging in PA to motivate action and demonstrate success. In recent years, Internet ubiquity and creation of YouTube has enabled fitness experts across the globe to develop and share a wide variety of high quality workout videos designed to make PA convenient and enjoyable for all demographics. The investigators leveraged these resources and the aforementioned preference data to design an action-oriented PATH program tailored for individuals who are overweight/obese. The workout videos curated on PATH website were vetted by the study team and stakeholders. The investigators contribution in this project is expected to be a detailed understanding of how open sourced resources in interventions like PATH are received and utilized by overweight/obese adults.

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