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SITless: Exercise Referral Schemes enhanced by Self-Management Strategies to battle sedentary behaviour

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Standing up against elderly sedentary behaviour epidemic

Sitting may be the new smoking, and for the elderly, it could be even more deadly. With increasing sedentary behaviour among seniors, the risk for chronic disease and disability is on the rise. In this context, the EU-funded SITless project aims to enhance existing exercise referral schemes with self-management strategies to promote long-term behavioural change. The project will conduct a systematic review, focus groups, and a feasibility study, followed by a three-armed pragmatic randomised controlled trial involving 1 138 subjects over an 18 month follow-up period. The study will measure the effects on sedentary behaviour, physical function, healthcare use and costs, quality of life, and other parameters. The results of this study could help policymakers promote physical activity among the elderly population.

Objective

The increase of the elderly population leads to increased prevalence of frailty, risk for poor health outcomes, and related health and social care costs. Lack of physical activity (PA) and established sedentary behaviours (SB) constitute an additional burden, as they are related to progression of chronic disease and disabling conditions. An existing initiative to battle SB and insufficient PA levels are exercise referral schemes (ERS) implemented in primary care, where insufficiently active individuals are referred to a third party service (sports centre or leisure facility) that prescribes and monitors an exercise programme tailored to the patients’ needs. ERS had shown improvements in PA in the short-term, but may have limited power to change SB and produce long-term effects. Thus, ERS might be enhanced by self-management strategies (SMS) to promote behavioural change. Such strategies based on social cognitive theory have been shown to increase self-confidence, power to act, and involvement in exercise.
In a first stage, a systematic review, focus groups and a feasibility study will be conducted. Then, a three-armed pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) will assess the long-term effectiveness of a complex intervention on sedentary behaviour (SB) in an elderly population, based on existing ERS enhanced by self-management strategies (SMS). It will be compared to ERS alone and to general recommendations.
The RCT will include 1138 subjects and will have a follow up of 18 months. The effect on SB will be measured as activity daily counts per minute and physical function. Secondary outcomes will include: healthcare use and costs, self-rated health and quality of life, mortality, morbidity, disability, institutionalization, mental health, social capital, sarcopenia and safety parameters. SITless will assess policy makers in deciding how or whether ERS should be further implemented or restructured in order to increase its adherence, efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-PHC-2014-2015

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Sub call

H2020-PHC-2014-two-stage

Funding Scheme

RIA - Research and Innovation action

Coordinator

FUNDACIO SALUT I ENVELLIMENT
Net EU contribution
€ 789 683,75
Address
SANT ANTONI MARIA CLARET 171
08041 Barcelona
Spain

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Region
Este Cataluña Barcelona
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 789 683,75

Participants (7)

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Last update: 18 August 2022

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/634270

European Union, 2024