Long-Term Exercise Maintenance via Internet Support

描述(申请人提供)：行走和奔跑是可以维持多年的行为。我们的全国45,704名步行者报告平均步行12英里/周，平均(+_SD)为9.1±10.1年。我们的12万名跑步者平均每周跑12英里，平均跑了12.4+_7.6年。然而，很大一部分跑步者(想必还有步行者)每年都会减少锻炼(41%的人在7.6年的跟踪调查中减少了50%的里程)。运动减少的风险似乎随着跑步年限、参加比赛和更好的比赛表现而降低。我们假设，促进步行和跑步活动的参与，提供社会支持，并产生智力兴趣和成就感的干预措施将有助于维持这些行为。此外，我们假设互联网可以以名义成本向大量人口提供这种干预。我们建议在一项为期3年的随机试验中检验这一假设，试验对象包括8,000名步行者和8,000名跑步者。可以上网的受试者将从我们现有的超过16万名步行者和跑步者中招募。治疗组将由4000名跑步者和4000名步行者组成，他们将被推荐到我们的互动网站。这个网站将建立在我们目前基于互联网的调查工具的基础上，该工具提供全功能的身体活动和饮食记录(www.Health Survey y.org)。我们将增加以下能力：1)跟踪从弗吉尼亚州约克敦到俄勒冈州佛罗伦萨的虚拟跨洲步行或跑步的每日里程，并查看跨洲进展(http//trailmaps.lbl.gov)；2)选择目标相似的匿名跑步和步行合作伙伴，沿虚拟路线旅行；3)与合作伙伴沟通，提供相互支持；4)在奖励页面上为完成每个州的比赛提供认可；5)下载地区性10公里和马拉松比赛的视频剪辑，以吸引参与(这些将使参与者能够可视化地参与和完成比赛)；6)提供有关地区比赛、步行和跑步俱乐部以及指导服务的信息。控制组将由4000名跑步者和4000名步行者组成，他们将被推荐到Road Runners of America(Runners)或大众体育网站(Walkers)。治疗组和对照组都将通过邮寄方式接受体力活动的基线和后续调查。100名跑步者和100名步行者的子组将获得带有心率监测器的计步器来验证活动。行为模型将通过比较步行和跑步活动与：1)网站活动；2)定期和在锻炼水平急剧变化时使用电子邮件收集的额外数据进行比较。我们估计，我们将能够在跑步者和步行者中分别检测到0.45%的干预组和对照组之间的运动停顿率差异(α=0.05，80%的统计功率)。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Walking and running are behaviors that can be maintained for many years. Our national cohort of 45,704 walkers reported walking >12 mi/wk for an average (+_SD) of 9.1+_10.1 years. Our cohort of 120,000 runners ran >12 mi/wk for an average of 12.4+_7.6 years. Yet a significant portion of runners (and presumably walkers) reduces their exercise each year (41% reduced their mileage >50% during 7.6 yrs of follow-up). The risk for exercising less appears to decrease with the number of years run, race participation, and better race performance. We hypothesize that an intervention that promotes participation in walking and running events, provides social support, and engenders intellectual interest and a sense of accomplishment will serve to maintain these behaviors. Moreover, we hypothesize that the Internet can provide this intervention to large populations at nominal cost. We propose to test this hypothesis in a 3-year randomized trial of 8,000 walkers and 8,000 runners. Subjects having Internet access will be recruited from our existing cohorts of over 160,000 walkers and runners. The treatment group will consist of 4,000 runners and 4,000 walkers who will be referred to our interactive Web site. This site will build upon our current Internet-based survey tool that provides full-function physical activity and diet logs (www.healthsurvey.org). We will add the capacity to: 1) track daily mileage on a virtual cross-continental walk or run from Yorktown Virginia to Florence, Oregon and to view cross-continental progress (http//trailmaps.lbl.gov); 2) choose anonymous running and walking partners with similar goals to travel with along the virtual course; 3) communicate with partners to provide mutual support; 4) provide recognition for completing each state on an awards page; 5) download video clips of regional 10km and marathon races to entice participation (these will enable participants to visualize participation and completion of the races); 6) provide information on regional races, walking and running clubs, and mentoring services. The control group will consist of 4,000 runners and 4,000 walkers who will be referred to Road Runners of America (runners) or Volkssport Websites (walkers). Both the treatment and control groups will receive by mail baseline and follow-up surveys on physical activities. A subset of 100 runners and 100 walkers will be given pedometers with heart rate monitors to verify activity. Behavioral models will be developed by comparing walking and running activity to: 1) Web site activity; 2) additional data solicited periodically and at times of acute change in exercise level using E-mail. We estimate that we will be able to detect differences in exercise cessation rates between the intervention and control group of 0.45% in runners and walkers separately (alpha=0.05, 80% statistical power).