PAthway To Health (PATH): Fostering culturally appropriate physical activities using digital technology in Indigenous communities
Principal Investigator: Linda Li, Senior Research Scientist of Clinical Epidemiology, BSc(PT), MSc, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia
When will the final results be reported?
The study recruitment started February 2015. We anticipate the study to end in February 2016
Why do this research?
Being physically active is important for everyone’s health, but it is often challenging for people to start and keep an activity routine.
To support a healthy lifestyle, Kwakiutl District Health Centres (KDC Health) offer a variety of programs and services to the community members in North Vancouver Island. KDC Health has expressed a strong interest in developing a physical activity mentoring program, in partnership with Arthritis Research Canada, to improve health and wellness in the communities. In this project, we will test a new program called PATH to improve physical activity participation in the communities served by KDC Health. The program will involve:
- A group education session on how to be active
- The use of Fitbit Flex – a wireless physical activity tracking device
- Activity mentoring by a KDC Health staff (known as Activity Mentors)
What will be done?
We will recruit 60 community members to test the PATH program. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either start the program now (the Now Group) or start the program 2 months later (the Later Group).
The Now Group will attend a group session, receive a Fitbit Flex activity tracker, and physical activity mentoring by a trained KDC Health staff. During the study period, participants will be asked to complete online questionnaires, and wear an armband accelerometer for 7 days to assess their activity levels at the beginning, at 2 months, and at 4 months of the study. To gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ experiences in the study, we will invite them to take part in an interview.
Participants in the Later Group will wait 2 months to start the same intervention.
Who is funding the research?
Funding for this study is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research IMPAKT-HiP Team.
Who is on the research team?
Co-investigators:
Charles Goldsmith, MSc, PhD
Lynne Feehan, BSc (PT), MSc, PhD; Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC; Lead, Clinical Research, Rehabilitation at Fraser Health
Research Staff:
Navi Grewal, Research Coordinator, Arthritis Research Canada
Joanna Ye, Research Assistant, Arthritis Research Canada
Cam Clayton, MSc Candidate, Arthritis Research Canada
Jenny Leese, PhD Trainee, Arthritis Research Canada
Jasmina Memetovic, Research Coordinator, Arthritis Research Canada
Collaborators:
Kim Roberts, Health Director, Kwakiutl District Council Health
