Promoting Walking Among Older Adults Through Affective Communication and Step-Monitoring

Summary

Physical inactivity increases substantially after age 60 and represents a major public health challenge in older adults, as it is linked to increased risk of functional and cognitive decline and aging problems. Walking is one of the most accessible and recommended forms of light-to-moderate physical activity for this population. However, promoting sustained engagement in walking remains difficult, as traditional informational approaches often fail to activate personally meaningful motivations.

This study tests whether persuasive affective messages can promote walking by leveraging self-continuity, meaning the use of autobiographical memory to maintain the sense of being the same person across time and contexts, connecting the past, present, and future self. Self-continuity is associated with psychological resources such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a sense of meaning in life. The affective mechanism that sustains self-continuity is nostalgia: both promote emotional and behavioral regulation and support goal achievement. Building on this framework, the present trial examines whether activating feelings of self-continuity and positive nostalgic memories can strengthen older adults' motivation to engage in walking behavior.

In addition, the study investigates whether combining self-continuity messaging with a self-regulation strategy (daily step monitoring) enhances intervention effectiveness. Self-monitoring is a well-established behavioral technique that supports goal pursuit by increasing awareness and feedback.

Using a 4-arm randomised controlled factorial design, the study compares the effects of self-continuity messages, step-monitoring reminders, their combination, and an active control condition on walking behaviour and its psychological determinants.

A national sample of 1,000 Italian adults aged 65-74, recruited through a certified panel provider (Ipsos) and balanced for age, gender, and geographic region, will be randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. All participants will receive one message per day through a mobile application over a 14-day period. Participants in the step-monitoring conditions will also be asked to track and report their daily step count using a pedometer application. Behavioral, psychological, and process measures will be collected at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

The study therefore aims to provide experimental evidence on the role of self-continuity as a motivational driver of health behaviour change, and to clarify whether combining affective and self-regulatory strategies enhances intervention effectiveness in older adults.

Conditions

• Walking
• Older Adults (65 Years and Older)
• Messaging
• Mobile Applications
• Psychosocial Factors
• Health Behaviour

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Self-continuity prompts

The Day 1 introductory message presents a daily walking goal consistent with WHO recommendations and informs participants that subsequent messages describe the benefits of walking. Participants will be encouraged to pursue the physical activity goal according to their individual capabilities. Messages delivered from Day 2 to Day 13 aim to activate different positive nostalgic experiences related to walking and movement, including past memories, emotions, bodily sensations, personal values, and self-concepts. The messages link walking behaviour to such positive experiences using counterfactual formulations (e.g., "If you walk a little more today, you may reconnect with sensations your body knows well."). Message openings vary and include exclamatory statements, memory prompts, or rhetorical questions. The Day 14 message concludes the intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Step-monitoring reminders

The Day 1 introductory message presents a daily walking goal consistent with WHO recommendations and informs participants that subsequent messages prompt them to monitor their daily step count. Participants will be encouraged to pursue the physical activity goal according to their individual capabilities. Messages delivered from Day 2 to Day 13 provide reminders to monitor step counts throughout the day using the pedometer app and to record the total number of daily steps in PsyMe at the end of the day (e.g., "During the day, monitor your step count using the pedometer app. This evening, record the total number of steps in the app."). The Day 14 message concludes the intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Water intake messages

The Day 1 introductory message presents a daily water-intake goal consistent with standard recommendations and informs participants that subsequent messages describe the benefits of adequate hydration. Participants will be encouraged to pursue the goal according to their individual capabilities. Messages delivered from Day 2 to Day 13 provide brief information about different beneficial effects of adequate water intake and link hydration to each outcome using counterfactual formulations (e.g., "If you drink the recommended amount of water today, you may support your energy levels and help prevent lapses in concentration"). Message openings vary and include exclamatory statements, memory prompts, or rhetorical questions. The Day 14 message concludes the intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• IPSOS

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Catholic University, Italy

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Patrizia Catellani, Social Psychology · Catholic University, Italy

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Max Age

74 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-30

Primary Completion

2026-08-31

Completion

2026-08-31

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations