Randomized-controlled Trial of Remotely-deployed Gamification Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Veterans With Parkinsons Disease
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
Despite overwhelming evidence that exercise can improve motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD), less than 25% of Veterans with PD meet recommended activity goals. Interventions to increase PA that are scalable and can be deployed in the community represent a major opportunity. The investigators' preliminary work has demonstrated that gamification, a method commonly used for health promotion, can lead to increases in physical activity in PD. In this study, the investigators will test the effectiveness of gamification in a randomized trial to increase activity. Importantly, the investigators will also examine the effect of step count and exercise intensity on clinical outcomes and explore factors important to widespread implementation of the program VA.
Description
Background/Significance: Exercise and physical activity (PA) improve PD symptoms and have been hypothesized to modify disease onset and progression. Further, exercise has been shown to improve debilitating non-motor symptoms (NMS, including depression, sleep, cognition) that are unresponsive or even worsened by dopaminergic treatments used to improve motor symptoms. Most of this evidence comes from resource-intensive, short-term observed trials of exercise, while the investigators' work and that of others has demonstrated low free-living activity levels in PD that worsen with disease duration.…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 50–89 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Veterans * Have a clinical diagnosis of PD based on diagnosis codes and chart review * Are on a stable regimen of anti-parkinsonian medication Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of an atypical parkinsonian syndrome or concomitant administration of a drug that could cause parkinsonian syndromes * Cardiovascular or other medical comorbidities that preclude participation in an intervention to increase physical activity * Lack of access to a smartphone or other device (tablet or networked computer) that can be used to interface with the Fitbit app and Way to Health platform *…
Interventions
- BehavioralGamification
Subjects will participate in an automated gamification intervention with loss or gain of points based on reaching a step goal target
- BehavioralFeedback control
Subjects in the control group will only receive a daily text message reminding them of their daily step goal and whether they met the goal or not
Location
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania