{"title":"The role of intermediaries in connecting individuals to local physical activity – protocol for a pilot feasibility trial","authors":"Megan O'Grady , Deirdre Connolly , Emer Barrett","doi":"10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101332","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Intermediaries are health-related workers who facilitate connections to local physical activities. Intermediaries deliver interventions by receiving referrals, conducting assessments, connecting referred individuals to activities and/or services in the community, and following up with them over time. However, it is unclear whether individuals who are referred to physical activities by an intermediary improve their physical activity levels, and what their perspectives and experiences are of participating in this intervention. To date there has been a lack of studies investigating the effect of this intervention on physical activity using appropriate outcome measures.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>This will be a mixed methods pilot feasibility study. Participants will be individuals referred or self-referred to an intermediary and connected to local physical activities. Participants will be recruited through two types of intermediary services in Ireland; social prescribing and local sports partnerships. A total of 30 participants will be recruited (15 per service). Baseline demographic information will be taken upon enrolment to the study and three questionnaires will be completed: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form, Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. The questionnaires will be repeated after 12 weeks and in addition semi-structured interviews will be carried out to explore intervention content and delivery, as well as acceptability of the intervention and evaluation design.</p></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><p>This overall aim of this proposed study is to investigate the feasibility of an intervention delivered by an intermediary to improve physical activity and health-related outcomes of community-dwelling individuals.</p></div><div><h3>Registration</h3><p><span><span>ClinicalTrials.gov</span><svg><path></path></svg></span> (NCT06260995).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":37937,"journal":{"name":"Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424000796/pdfft?md5=5bc782ede55f24f14e41d4762450e826&pid=1-s2.0-S2451865424000796-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424000796","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Intermediaries are health-related workers who facilitate connections to local physical activities. Intermediaries deliver interventions by receiving referrals, conducting assessments, connecting referred individuals to activities and/or services in the community, and following up with them over time. However, it is unclear whether individuals who are referred to physical activities by an intermediary improve their physical activity levels, and what their perspectives and experiences are of participating in this intervention. To date there has been a lack of studies investigating the effect of this intervention on physical activity using appropriate outcome measures.
Methods
This will be a mixed methods pilot feasibility study. Participants will be individuals referred or self-referred to an intermediary and connected to local physical activities. Participants will be recruited through two types of intermediary services in Ireland; social prescribing and local sports partnerships. A total of 30 participants will be recruited (15 per service). Baseline demographic information will be taken upon enrolment to the study and three questionnaires will be completed: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form, Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. The questionnaires will be repeated after 12 weeks and in addition semi-structured interviews will be carried out to explore intervention content and delivery, as well as acceptability of the intervention and evaluation design.
Discussion
This overall aim of this proposed study is to investigate the feasibility of an intervention delivered by an intermediary to improve physical activity and health-related outcomes of community-dwelling individuals.
期刊介绍:
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications is an international peer reviewed open access journal that publishes articles pertaining to all aspects of clinical trials, including, but not limited to, design, conduct, analysis, regulation and ethics. Manuscripts submitted should appeal to a readership drawn from a wide range of disciplines including medicine, life science, pharmaceutical science, biostatistics, epidemiology, computer science, management science, behavioral science, and bioethics. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications is unique in that it is outside the confines of disease specifications, and it strives to increase the transparency of medical research and reduce publication bias by publishing scientifically valid original research findings irrespective of their perceived importance, significance or impact. Both randomized and non-randomized trials are within the scope of the Journal. Some common topics include trial design rationale and methods, operational methodologies and challenges, and positive and negative trial results. In addition to original research, the Journal also welcomes other types of communications including, but are not limited to, methodology reviews, perspectives and discussions. Through timely dissemination of advances in clinical trials, the goal of Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications is to serve as a platform to enhance the communication and collaboration within the global clinical trials community that ultimately advances this field of research for the benefit of patients.