A Multimodal Counseling-Based Adolescent Physical Activity Intervention

Abstract Purpose National guidelines recommend adolescents achieve 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)/day, yet few adolescents meet these guidelines. Methods We piloted a novel quasi-randomized physical activity intervention to promote adolescent's use of their surrounding built environment among 30 intervention and 30 control overweight/obese adolescents aged 10–16 years living in greater Boston from 2013 to 2015. Location-specific MPVA was measured by accelerometry and global positioning system for three one-week periods (Time 1 [T1], Time 2 [T2], and Time 3 [T3]). One month after T1, intervention participants received individualized counseling on how to use their surrounding built environment to increase MVPA, and control participants received standard-of-care lifestyle modification counseling; both groups received their T1 physical activity data. T2 assessment occurred the week after the counseling visit and T3 assessment 3–4 months later. The main outcome was change in average daily minutes of MVPA; the secondary outcome was meeting national MVPA guidelines. Multivariable modeling accounted for covariates (baseline MVPA, body mass index, age, sex, race/ethnicity) and clustering by study group and town. Results Among the 60 adolescents recruited, 55 (92%) completed data collection. Short-term (T2) intervention effects included increased average MVPA of +13.9 minutes intervention versus −.6 minutes control ( p p  = .0006). The proportion of adolescents in the intervention group who achieved 60 minutes/day of MVPA increased from 11% (T1) to 21% (T2), whereas declining (7%–0%) among controls. Conclusions Individualized counseling about the built environment can help increase MVPA among overweight and obese adolescents.