A randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the SCI Get Fit Toolkit on leisure-time physical activity behaviour and social-cognitive processes in adults with spinal cord injury

Kelly P Arbour-Nicitopoulos; Shane N Sweet; Marie-Eve Lamontagne; Kathleen A Martin Ginis; Samantha Jeske; François Routhier; Amy E Latimer-Cheung

doi:10.1038/scsandc.2017.44

A randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the SCI Get Fit Toolkit on leisure-time physical activity behaviour and social-cognitive processes in adults with spinal cord injury

Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2017 Aug 3:3:17044. doi: 10.1038/scsandc.2017.44. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Kelly P Arbour-Nicitopoulos¹, Shane N Sweet^{2

3}, Marie-Eve Lamontagne^{4

5}, Kathleen A Martin Ginis^{6

7}, Samantha Jeske¹, François Routhier^{4

5}, Amy E Latimer-Cheung⁸

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
³ Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
⁴ Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de Rédadaptation en Déficience Physique de Québec, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
⁶ School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
⁷ International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
⁸ School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Study design: Single blind, two-group randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of the SCI Get Fit Toolkit delivered online on theoretical constructs and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adults with SCI.

Setting: Ontario and Quebec, Canada.

Eligibility: Inactive, English- and French-speaking Canadian adults with traumatic SCI with Internet access, and no self-reported cognitive or memory impairments.

Methods: Participants (N=90 M_age=48.12±11.29 years; 79% male) were randomized to view the SCI Get Fit Toolkit or the Physical Activity Guidelines for adults with SCI (PAG-SCI) online. Primary (intentions) and secondary (outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, planning and MVPA behaviour) outcomes were assessed over a 1-month period.

Results: Of the 90 participants randomized, 77 were included in the analyses. Participants viewed the experimental stimuli only briefly, reading the 4-page toolkit for approximately 2.5 min longer than the 1-page guideline document. No condition effects were found for intentions, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, and planning (ΔR²⩽0.03). Individuals in the toolkit condition were more likely to participate in at least one bout of 20 min of MVPA behaviour at 1-week post-intervention compared to individuals in the guidelines condition (OR=3.54, 95% CI=0.95, 13.17). However, no differences were found when examining change in weekly minutes of MVPA or comparing whether participants met the PAG-SCI.

Conclusions: No firm conclusions can be made regarding the impact of the SCI Get Fit Toolkit in comparison to the PAG-SCI on social cognitions and MVPA behaviour. The limited online access to this resource may partially explain these null findings.

Keywords: Patient education.