An interventional study of AgingPLUS and Active Control Group in Physical Activity, sponsored by Colorado State University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 45 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-06-19.
Sponsored by Colorado State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
This study examines the efficacy of a psycho-educational intervention program, AgingPLUS, with regard to increasing middle-aged and older adults' engagement in physical activity.
AgingPLUS is a multi-component intervention program that addresses negative views of aging (NVOA), low internal control beliefs, and deficient goal planning as a risk cluster that keeps adults from engaging in health-promoting behavior. The program focuses on engagement in physical activity (PA) as the health behavior of choice. Engagement in PA is widely recognized as the best non-pharmacological, non-invasive, and cost-effective method of health promotion. Yet, only 20% of the adult population meets the recommended PA guidelines. This suggests that messages about the benefits of PA alone are not effective. Rather, it is essential to address the social-cognitive and motiva-tional mechanisms that prevent adults from adopting and maintaining a regular PA regimen. NVOA, low internal control beliefs, and deficient goal planning represent such a cluster of social-cognitive and motivational mechanisms.
Given this background, the specific aims and hypotheses of the proposed research are:
Aim 1: To conduct a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of the AgingPLUS program.
Aim 2: To test a conceptual model of the mechanisms underlying the intervention effects.
Aim 3: To conduct a 6-month follow-up to examine the longer-term effects of AgingPLUS.
Upon completion of this project, we expect to have successfully established evidence for the efficacy of the AgingPLUS program (Stage II of the NIH Stage Mode). The long-term goal is to develop AgingPLUS into a full-fledged evidence-based program that can be implemented in community settings (e.g., senior centers), and can serve as a fairly brief and cost-effective public health tool to promote healthy and successful aging.
Exclusion Criteria:
This group will get the AgingPLUS intervention program which addresses negative views on aging, low internal control beliefs, and deficient goal planning skills.
Behavioral: AgingPLUS
This group will get a generic health education program, called the "10 Keys to Healthy Aging". The control program will control for the effect of social contact and will not address the intervention targets of the active treatment group. The health education program will only provide information related to some of the most important health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and clinical depression, and how these conditions can be managed.
Behavioral: Active Control Group
The program consists of 2-hour meetings for a total of 4 weeks (total of 8 hours) and discusses (a) how negative views on aging and negative age stereotypes undermine adults' health-promoting behaviors; (b) how adults can take control of their own aging; and (c) how personal goals can be achieved through more effective goal planning and action plans.
The program consists of 2-hour meetings for a total of 4 weeks (total of 8 hours) and discusses (a) four major health conditions that affect the lives of many middle-aged and older adults (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes; clinical depression); and (b) how these conditions can be managed successfully.
Increased physical activity
We expect that participants significantly increase their engagement in physical activity as assessed by an accelerometer.
Time frame: This effect should be observable (1) at the Week-4 post-test, (2) the Week-8 post-test, and (3) the 6-Month post-test.
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Plan to share: No
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Colorado State University