Personalized Exercise Counseling to Promote Workability

Summary

The study design is a 2-arm randomized controlled trial with 6-month intervention period and follow-up at 6, 12 and 24 months among blue-color workers of Nokia City with reduced work ability and high number of musculoskeletal problems. The participants (n=190) will be randomly assigned to intervention-arm providing face-to-face Personalized Exercise Counseling combined with interactive accelerometer (PEC-arm) or a non-intervention Control-arm. The study aims at improving workability (main outcome) and reducing musculoskeletal pain by counseling and motivating the workers to increase physical activity and exercise according to self-selected modes. Exercise instructors of Nokia City are responsible for providing the face-to-face part of PEC. The Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (UKK) Institute is responsible for providing online feedback of the data collected by the interactive ExSed® accelerometer, stored and analyzed in the Cloud, from where the participants in the PEC-arm receive daily feedback thru a smart phone application. Cost-effectiveness of the PEC-intervention compared to the Control-arm in terms of quality adjusted life-years (QALY) and days of sickness absence are also investigated. The following measurements will be taken at baseline and the three follow-up timepoints: work-, health- and physical activity related factors collected by two electronic questionnaires, objective measurements of movement continuum (sleep, sedentary behavior, standing-ups, standing, light activity, moderate activity, vigorous activity) for 24/7 (RM42 research accelerometer), 3 tests of physical fitness and blood samples related to blood sugar and lipid profile.

Conditions

• Physical Functioning
• Musculoskeletal Pain
• Quality of Life
• Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Personalized Exercise Counseling (PEC)

At the first counseling appointment, PEC-participants answer the physical activity (PA) questionnaire, perform fitness tests and discuss with their exercise instructor. The target is a personalized short-term PA plan including where and when the PA/exercise takes place and what is the mode. Participants may choose instructed group-exercise sessions provided by the municipal sports/leisure sector or exercising alone as preferred. The exercise instructors utilize the fitness test results and feedback data of the research accelerometers by the UKK Institute to guide the participants. The PEC includes 2 more face-to-face sessions and 4-6 phone calls by the instructors aimed at checking the realization of exercise plans and discussing the outcomes provided by the interactive accelerometer.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• City of Nokia

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• UKK Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Tuomas Erkkilä, Dr. · Human Reserach Manager, City of Nokia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-12-10

Primary Completion

2021-12-10

Completion

2023-12-20

Countries

• Finland

Study Locations