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Physical activity outcomes from a randomized trial of a theory- and technology-enhanced intervention for Latinas: the Seamos Activas II study

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Abstract

Latina women report disproportionately high and increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions (obesity, diabetes) related to low physical activity levels. Efforts to date at addressing high rates of physical inactivity in this at-risk population have shown modest success. The original Seamos Saludables (sample size N = 266) was a culturally and linguistically adapted, print-based physical activity intervention that showed significant increases in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from baseline to 6 months. However, only 11% of intervention participants reached the national PA guidelines of ≥ 150 min/week of aerobic MVPA. The current study tests the original Seamos Saludables intervention (Original Intervention) against an enhanced iteration Seamos Activas II (Enhanced Intervention). Study aims and intervention refinements focus on increasing the percentage of Latinas meeting national aerobic PA guidelines. For the current study (Seamos Activas II), a randomized controlled trial with (N = 199 participants) of two PA interventions (original intervention, N = 102; vs. enhanced intervention, N = 97) was conducted. Intervention refinements involved further targeting key constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory and incorporating text-message-based strategies for self-monitoring, in response to participant feedback for greater interactivity and accountability. PA assessments were conducted at baseline and 6 months. The sample was predominantly Mexican American (89%) with average age of 43.8 years (SD = 10.11) and mean BMI at baseline was 30.6 (SD = 7.56). There were significant within group increases in MVPA from baseline to 6 months (p < .05) in both Original and Enhanced Intervention arms. However, quantile regression models did not indicate significant differences in 6-month outcomes between conditions controlling for baseline, p = 0.73. There were significant differences between conditions with respect to meeting national guidelines for aerobic MVPA at 6 months, with 57% of Enhanced Intervention participants meeting guidelines compared to 44% of Original Intervention participants, OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.09 -2.89. Models suggest trends favoring the enhanced condition for improvements in biomarkers over 6 months. Findings indicate that the intervention enhancements likely helped more Latinas achieve nationally recommended, health enhancing PA levels than the original intervention and showed promise for improving physiological response to exercise.

Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.Gov; NCT02630953. Registered 14 December 2015. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02630953.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [R01 CA159954/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States, R01 NR011295/NR/NINR NIH HHS/United States, and T32 HL007034/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, School of Public Health, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Bess H. Marcus, Shira Dunsiger & Tanya Benitez

  2. School of Public Health, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Dorothy Pekmezi

  3. Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Britta Larsen

  4. School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Dawn Meyer

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  1. Bess H. Marcus
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BM, SD, DP, BL and DP designed the research; DM and TB conducted research; BM, SD, DP, TB, and BL drafted the manuscript; SD analyzed the data; BM had primary responsibility for final content. All authors thoroughly edited and revised drafts, and all authors read and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Bess H. Marcus.

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The study was conducted at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), and all study activities were approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board.

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Marcus, B.H., Dunsiger, S., Pekmezi, D. et al. Physical activity outcomes from a randomized trial of a theory- and technology-enhanced intervention for Latinas: the Seamos Activas II study. J Behav Med 45, 1–13 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-021-00246-6

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