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PAthway To Health (PATH): Fostering culturally appropriate physical activities using digital technology in Indigenous communities
Everyday-Living-8.5-1
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Why did we 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 did we do?

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.

The Research Team

The Research Team

Principal Investigator

  • Linda Li, BSc(PT), MSc, PhD, FCAHS, Senior Scientist, Implementation Science, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)

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 , MA, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Arthritis Research Canada Trainee
  • Jasmina Memetovic, Research Coordinator, Arthritis Research Canada

Collaborators

  • Kim Roberts, Health Director, Kwakiutl District Council Health

Who Funded This Research?

Funding for this study is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research IMPAKT-HiP Team.

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