Scale Up Project Evaluating Responsiveness to Home Exercise And Lifestyle Tele-Health (SUPER-HEALTH): Preliminary Findings

Research Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based movement-to-music (M2M) exercise program for increasing physical activity among adults with mobility disabilities.

Design: Preliminary analysis of data from an RCT

Setting: All outcome measures and delivery of the interventions were entirely performed online.

Participants: 200 participants (mean age of 52±12) completed (1) the 24-week intervention and (2) the baseline and 24-week physical activity recall questionnaire. The participants predominantly consisted of women (80%) and Caucasians (60%). The participants presented various types of disability (e.g., multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal cord injury) and a wide range of mobility limitations.

Interventions: The 48-week study consisted of a 24-week M2M program (48 to 150 minutes/week for 3x/week) and a 12-week follow-up period. The M2M program was designed to improve fitness and function. A series of movements with music targeted specific training components (flexibility, muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, balance). Three levels of functional variations were provided for standing, seated, and hemiparesis. Participants received a tablet that contains a customized study app. The app released a set of pre-recorded exercise videos each week.

Main Outcome Measures: Physical activity was measured using the health contribution score of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (a sum of the weighted moderate and vigorous physical activity scores).

Results: The effect of the M2M intervention on physical activity post-trial was determined using analysis of covariance with condition (group: intervention or control) as the between-subject factor, and corresponding pre-trial outcome scores were the covariate. There was a significant effect of the intervention on physical activity outcome (intervention: 18.15±19.71, n=127; control: 12.29±14.81, n=73; p=0.014).

Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary evidence that the M2M intervention might improve physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous intensity) in people with mobility disabilities. Such findings are important considering that physical activity is a modifiable behavior with the potential long-term benefits for the prevention and management of secondary health conditions and comorbidities among those with mobility disabilities.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this abstract.