ASDactive: An Integrated Theory-based Intervention to Promote Habitual Physical Activity

Sponsor

Aberystwyth University (Other)

Overall Status

Recruiting

CT.gov ID

NCT05958680

Collaborator

(none)

Enrollment

Location

Arm

Anticipated Duration (Months)

2.5

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

ASDactive is a theory-based behaviour change intervention aimed at improving the physical activity behaviours of autistic youth. The feasibility of the intervention will be tested through interviews with participants and stakeholders. "Proof of concept" will be tested through preliminary measures of physical activity measured before and after the intervention.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Physical Inactivity Sedentary Behavior Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Asperger Syndrome Behavioral	Behavioral: ASDactive	N/A

Detailed Description

ASDactive is has been developed with guidance from autistic people and stakeholders in autism. It is informed by motivation and behaviour change theory, specifically habit theory. The intervention aims to improve the habitual exercise behaviours of autistic youth by focusing on their strengths and interests.

The feasibility study will run for 3-months, with a further 3-month follow-up period. Participants will attend motivational sessions in person where they will self-select physical activity habits to incorporate into their daily lives. They will be taught fundamental movement skills that they can use in their own leisure time. In-person sessions will be held once per fortnight with online sessions twice weekly. Participants will be encouraged to engage with as many sessions as possible, but part of the evaluation will assess uptake and engagement.

Self-determination theory and habit theory will underpin all aspects of the intervention and autistic strong interests will be embedded in the materials used.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Anticipated Enrollment :

30 participants

Allocation:

N/A

Intervention Model:

Single Group Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Basic Science

Official Title:

ASDactive: Feasibility of An Integrated Theory-based Intervention to Promote Habitual Physical Activity Behaviours in Autistic Youth

Anticipated Study Start Date :

Oct 1, 2023

Anticipated Primary Completion Date :

Jan 1, 2024

Anticipated Study Completion Date :

Oct 1, 2024

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: ASDactive Theoretically derived behaviour change intervention aimed at promoting habitual physical activity uptake	Behavioral: ASDactive An integrated theory-based intervention to promote habitual physical activity behaviours in autistic youth

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Experimental: ASDactive

Theoretically derived behaviour change intervention aimed at promoting habitual physical activity uptake

Behavioral: ASDactive

An integrated theory-based intervention to promote habitual physical activity behaviours in autistic youth

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Feasibility of the intervention through its Adoption [3- months]
Number of people engaging with the sessions each week
Feasibility through Implementation [3- months]
Assessment of the fidelity of the delivery sessions. Two sessions will be recorded and reviewed by two assessors to ensure they are consistently delivered according to the protocol

Secondary Outcome Measures

Self-Report Habit Index [3- and 6-months as a follow-up]
A scale which measures a combination of subjective estimates (never to always) and recall of behavioural frequency (number of times per week). These are then multiplied by stability of context measured by subjective evaluations (e.g., always in the same place to never in the same place). When frequency and stability are multiplied on the scale, a habit strength between 0-36 is given. Lower scores indicate poor levels of habit strength, higher scores indicated good habit strength.
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale [3 months]
Measures of basic psychological needs (autonomy, relatedness, and competence) measured on a 7-point likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Lower scores indicate lower levels of perceived psychological needs being met and so worse outcomes.
International Physical Activity Questionnaire- Short form [3- and -6 months as a follow-up]
self-report physical activity levels through open-ended questions surrounding individuals' last 7-day recall of physical activity