RECRUITING

The VESPA Pilot Study

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

Physical activity has been described by the US federal government as a 'best buy' for public health. Unfortunately, most adults in the United States are not sufficiently active, and this worsens with age. Low levels of participation are driven by many challenging barriers, including lack of access, few opportunities for enjoyable activity, and few supportive social relationships, which is especially important given the central role of social connection for lasting behavior change. A half-century of research in behavioral sciences has generated effective group-based physical activity programs, but these are inaccessible to most as they are often delivered in a few select research centers. Recent advances in telehealth have offered media for extending these interventions more broadly, but the experience of such programs is often hampered by technology that does not allow for a sense of physical and social presence. Fortunately, uptake of virtual reality (VR) is increasing rapidly, and the medium has a high level of potential for advancing the delivery of immersive evidence-based group interventions to those that most need it. Thus our specific aims are: Specific aim 1: To test the feasibility and acceptability of a group-mediated physical activity intervention delivered fully via modern VR to older adults. Specific aim 2: To examine the impact of this program on overall physical activity among older adults compared to the current standard-of-care for telehealth: the video conference meeting platform.

Official Title

The Virtually Engaging Socially With Physical Activity (VESPA) Pilot Study

Quick Facts

Study Start:2020-12-17
Study Completion:2024-12-30
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT04756245

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:45 Years to 80 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:Yes
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. * Age of 45-80 years
  2. * Body mass index between 30-45 kg/m2
  3. * Low-active (30 or more minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on 2 or fewer days per week)
  4. * Have access to home Wi-Fi
  5. * Have regular access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone to receive teleconferencing calls
  6. * Have a clear "VR space" (7'x7' object-free space)
  7. * Have an "Activity buddy" (spouse, child, caregiver, etc.)
  8. * Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) score of 32 or greater
  9. * Consent from a physician for study participation
  10. * Proficient in the English language
  11. * Willingness to create or use existing personal Facebook account for virtual reality activities.
  1. * Current involvement in other physical activity research studies
  2. * Hearing or sight impairments (significant visual or hearing impairment that cannot be corrected and results in the inability to use the telephone or hear normal conversation, colorblindness)
  3. * Dependence on a cane or walker
  4. * More than 1 fall in the past year
  5. * Contraindication to exercise
  6. * Current or recent history within the last 6 months of: symptomatic coronary heart disease, cancer, liver or renal disease, severe pulmonary disease, gross physical impairment, or uncontrolled hypertension; myocardial infarction or cardiovascular procedure within the last 3 months
  7. * History of or diagnosis of photosensitive epilepsy
  8. * Score of "severe" on any question in the Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire;
  9. * Unwillingness to use a head-mounted virtual reality system
  10. * Current severe or untreated depression

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Kyle Kershner, BS
CONTACT
336-758-3728
kerski19@wfu.edu

Principal Investigator

Jason Fanning, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Wake Forest University

Study Locations (Sites)

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27109
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Wake Forest University

  • Jason Fanning, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Wake Forest University

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2020-12-17
Study Completion Date2024-12-30

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2020-12-17
Study Completion Date2024-12-30

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • Telehealth
  • Virtual Reality
  • Physical Activity

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Exercise
  • Behavior
  • Loneliness
  • Social Isolation