Physical Activity Clinical Trials

The innovative MPBA+F begins with peer-to-peer mentoring followed by structured parental/family support for long-term reinforcement of PA behaviors. Building and reinforcing skills, MPBA+F mitigates resource stressors and strengthens protective factors by providing culturally appropriate knowledge and skills to improve the sustainability of physical activity at home without the use of exercise equipment. By strengthening social support through peer and friendship networks and family-based support, MPBA+F responds to the unique needs of rural Appalachians in a culturally responsive way. This study targets physical activity among children with overweight, obesity, or extreme obesity because rural Appalachian communities identify sedentary activity as a key contributor to the high rates of obesity and diabetes risk among youth. Read Less

Inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, leading to chronic diseases. Much of the world's population is inactive, and older adults are at highest risk. Incentive-based interventions show promise for improving activity levels. The investigators propose to conduct a study to evaluate the impact of incentives on physical activity of older adults (55 and above). Half the participants will receive additional incentives for walking throughout the study. Their step count and physical/mental health will be compared to a control group. The investigators will track the physical activity of participants using Fitbits and will encourage physical activity through making meal donations on behalf of participants (prosocial incentives) and giving them gift cards that can be redeemed at local businesses (personal incentives). Physical and mental health before and after the study will also be assessed using a written survey. Read Less

Strong Teens for Healthy Schools (STHS) is a school-based, civic engagement program that empowers middle school students to improve their physical activity and healthy eating behaviors, improve their cardiovascular disease outcomes, and create positive change in their school health environments. Read Less

Healthy School Recognized Campus is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension initiative that supports the delivery of school-based physical activity and nutrition programs for diverse youth across Texas. The purpose of this study is to improve the delivery of these programs and optimize the effect they have on youth's cardiovascular risk factors. Read Less

The investigators have developed an online platform to support the 8-week, F&S! exercise program called the Healthy Activity Improves Lives (HAIL) online platform. The aim of this study is to perform a cluster randomization of four racially diverse churches or senior centers to either the standard F&S! program, or the combined HAIL Online Platform + F&S! program to examine the efficacy of the HAIL online platform + F&S! program for older adults in black communities. Read Less

Over 50% of the Veterans enrolled for VA health care are over the age of 65. Dementia prevalence increases with age, and with the increase in the population of people ages 65 and older, the total number of people with dementia is also increasing. Older Veterans often have comorbid PTSD, major depression and traumatic brain injury so that they are at 2 to 5 times the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia compared to the general population. There is evidence that exercise interventions in sedentary older adults could improve both physical and cognitive function. However, there have been very few studies on the effects of exercise on cognition in older Veterans and do not reflect the broader ethnic and health-status diversity of Veterans. Thus, improved knowledge of the role of exercise on cognition as well as the predictive power of biomarkers could have a major beneficial impact on Veterans' functional independence and quality of life. The investigators hypothesize that participation in the VA Gerofit exercise program will improve cognitive function in older Veterans and that blood and muscle biomarkers will predict these improvements. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test a culturally tailored, smartphone-delivered intervention designed to increase physical activity and reduce risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes among African American women. Read Less

This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial of a multi-level intervention that links Latino Catholic churches (n=14) with their local parks to increase physical activity among Latino parishioners (n=1204) in Los Angeles. The study will examine the impact of the intervention on Latino parishioners' PA and health-related outcomes; explore differences in the intervention's effectiveness by gender; and evaluate factors associated with implementation for future dissemination. If successful, the intervention has the potential for sustainability and scale-up across the largest diocese in the U.S. and potentially across the nation. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to develop an implementation strategy to improve the use and sustainment of active learning in elementary schools and to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the impact of the developed implementation strategy on the implementation and effectiveness of active learning. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to conduct a 6-month pilot randomized trial to determine the feasibility and acceptability of theory-based mobile weight loss interventions for survivors of adolescent and young adult cancer (AYAs). The interventions use a mobile smartphone application, previously developed for individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes and adapted for AYAs, that integrates weight and physical activity from digital devices with simplified dietary monitoring in a behavioral weight loss program. Read Less

The goal of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) is to assess molecular changes that occur in response to physical activity (PA). To achieve this aim, a mechanistic randomized controlled trial (RCT) is conducted, in which adult study participants are randomized to endurance exercise (EE) training, resistance exercise (RE) training, or no exercise Control for a period of approximately 12 weeks. The overarching hypothesis is that there are discoverable molecular transducers that communicate and coordinate the effects of exercise on cells, tissues, and organs, which may initiate processes ultimately leading to the health benefits of exercise. Because this is a mechanistic trial, the main goal is not a single health-related outcome. Rather, the goal is to generate a resource leading to the generation of a map of the molecular responses to exercise that will be used by the Consortium and by the scientific community at large to generate hypotheses for future investigations of the health benefits of PA. Read Less

The goal of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) is to assess molecular changes that occur in response to physical activity (PA). To achieve this aim, studies will be conducted in adults and separately in children and adolescents. The UC Irvine MoTrPAC Pediatric Clinical Center oversees two interrelated study phases in children and adolescents: A cross-sectional phase in which molecular transducers (obtained from blood sampling) are measured in response to an acute exercise challenge (n = 320); An intervention phase is conducted as a mechanistic randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants are recruited from the cross-sectional study phase and randomized to endurance exercise (EE) training (n = 120) or no exercise Control (n = 50) for a period of approximately 12 weeks. Read Less