Studies
| Study Title: | Pilot testing a strategy to reframe exercise barriers for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis |
| Rationale: | Exercise has been viewed as a possible strategy for the management of MS and is associated with improved health-related quality of life. Evidence has shown that engaging in exercise can reduced lesion volumes, fatigue, depression, relapse rates, neurological disability, disease progression, and improved mobility. Limitations in dynamic mobility can restrict individuals’ activities of daily living and their ability to independently engage in their community. Exercise helps the management of MS-related symptoms, however, it’s also these symptoms that make exercise more challenging. We have developed an exercise coaching strategy called reframing to help you challenge negative thoughts associated with your barriers to exercise. We have evidence that reframing works in the general population, however, we’re interested in how we can best refine the reframing protocol for individuals with MS. |
| Study Description: | We aim to examine if challenging and reframing negative exercise thoughts will reduce barriers to exercise in people with MS. We are aiming to recruit 22 individuals with MS for this study. All participant participation will be virtual (using Microsoft Teams or Zoom). Participants will complete a consent form and then will be contacted to book a reframing session (~20 minutes) with one of our coaches within 1 week. On the day of the session, participants will complete a pre-session survey. Then, they will complete the 20-minute exercise coaching session. Then, immediately following the session, they will complete a post-session survey. We will then book a follow-up interview for 1 week later. On the day of the follow-up session, the participant will complete a (10-minute) follow-up interview and a 1-week follow-up survey. Finally, 4-weeks following the reframing session, participants will be sent a 4-week follow-up survey about their reframing experience. The results of this study will help us understand if reframing can be feasibly and acceptably delivered for People with MS, and how it can be optimally tailored for this population. These findings will provide insight for a larger trial and training health professionals to use this coaching style within their practice. |
| Starting Dates: | 2024-01-22 |
| Ending Dates: | 2024-07-31 |
| Who can participate: | Adults (aged 18 and over) with MS will be recruited for the study. Participants will be eligible if they have a Patient-Determined Disease Steps scale score of 6 or below. Those who have not experienced a flare-up in symptoms within the last 7 days. We seek to recruit participants who can independently ambulate because we aim to improve walking and exercise behaviours in the next steps of our research. |
| Location of Trial: | Brock University |
| Trial Investigator: | Dr. Sean Locke, PhD |
| Contact Information: | Isabelle Hill ih18pr@brocku.ca |
| Trial Funding: | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council & Research Professor Start-up funds |