ASPO Abstracts
Wearable Electronic Activity Monitors Produced Greater Self-Regulation and Psychological Need Satisfaction than Pedometers in a Randomized Trial
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication, Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
BACKGROUND: Increasing physical activity (PA) is associated with decreased risk of multiple cancers, but unfortunately rates of PA are low among American adults. Behavioral interventions have demonstrated that targeting self-regulation and psychological need satisfaction can improve PA. Electronic activity monitors (EAMs) are a potential medium for delivering intervention components, but the extent to which they successfully target these theoretical constructs is unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare impacts on self-regulation and psychological need satisfaction between EAMs and standard pedometers in the context of a low-intensity behavioral intervention. METHODS: As secondary outcomes of a pilot randomized controlled trial, 40 primary care patients (mean age = 61.5 ± 5.3 years, 85% female, 65% white, BMI 30.3 ± 3.1) completed the Exercise Goal- Setting Scale, Exercise Planning and Scheduling Scale, and the Psychological Need Satisfaction in Exercise Scale. Participants were then randomized to either a pedometer (PM) group or an EAM (Jawbone UP24) group to monitor activity over 12 weeks. Both groups were reassessed at the end of the 12 week period. RESULTS: ANCOVA controlling for demographic and baseline levels of the outcome revealed that participants in the EAM group were significantly more likely to set exercise goals (EAM: 31.0 vs. PM: 22.34; P<.0001), schedule and plan their exercise (EAM: 26.4 vs. PM: 20.45; P<.05) and feel competent (EAM: 3.42 vs. PM: 2.49; P<.001), autonomous (EAM: 4.01 vs. PM: 3.16; P<.001) and related to others (EAM: 3.94 vs. PM: 3.23; P<.01) when exercising relative to those in the pedometer group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that, compared to a standard pedometer, an EAM intervention improves goal behaviors as well as satisfies the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy and relatedness. A PA intervention that addresses these psychological outcomes may be imperative to PA behavior maintenance and thus may function as an EAM intervention mechanism targeting PA and weight outcomes. A study with a longer follow-up period is needed to examine prospective associations between psychological factors and exercise behavior maintenance.
Keywords: Physical activity; Electronic Activity Monitors