Background: People living with acquired brain injury (ABI) are more likely to be physically inactive and highly sedentary and, therefore, to have increased risks of morbidity and mortality. However, many adults with ABI experience barriers to participation in effective physical activity interventions. Remotely delivered self-management programs focused on teaching patients how to improve and maintain their physical activity levels have the potential to improve the overall health of adults with ABI.
Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a remotely delivered self-management program aimed at increasing physical activity among adults who dwell in the community and have ABI.
Design: A single-group design involving comparison of baseline measures with those taken immediately after intervention and at a 3-month follow-up was used in this study.
Methods: The myMoves Program comprises 6 modules delivered over 8 weeks via email. Participants were provided with regular weekly contact with an experienced physical therapist via email and telephone. The primary outcomes were the feasibility (participation, attrition, clinician time, accessibility, and adverse events) and acceptability (satisfaction, worthiness of time, and recommendation) of the myMoves Program. The secondary outcomes were objective physical activity data collected from accelerometers, physical activity self-efficacy, psychological distress, and participation.
Results: Twenty-four participants commenced the program (20 with stroke, 4 with traumatic injury), and outcomes were collected for 23 and 22 participants immediately after the program and at a 3-month follow-up, respectively. The program required very little clinician contact time, with an average of 32.8 minutes (SD=22.8) per participant during the 8-week program. Acceptability was very high, with more than 95% of participants being either very satisfied or satisfied with the myMoves Program and stating that it was worth their time. All participants stated that they would recommend the program to others with ABI.
Limitations: The results were obtained from a small sample; hence, the results may not be generalizable to a larger ABI population.
Conclusions: A remotely delivered self-management program aimed at increasing physical activity is feasible and acceptable for adults with ABI. Further large-scale efficacy trials are warranted.
© 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.