Feasibility of an online intervention delivery to promote exercise for people with spinal cord injury: A Pre-Post Design Pilot Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are less likely to be physically active (PA) and have higher chronic disease risk than those in the general population due to physical and metabolic changes that occur post-injury. Few studies have investigated approaches to promote increased PA for those with SCI despite evidence that they face unique barriers that include lack of accessible transportation and exercise equipment. OBJECTIVE To address these obstacles, we adapted an evidence-based phone-delivered intervention that promoted increased PA among people with SCI into a web-based platform. The adapted program provides participants with weekly skill-building information and activities, basic exercise equipment, and ongoing support through weekly group videoconferencing. METHODS We assessed feasibility of the web-based program by delivering an abbreviated, four-week version to 10 participants with SCI. Rates of weekly videoconference attendance, activity completion, and exercise activity as tracked by an arm-based activity monitor were recorded for all participants. RESULTS Participants’ average rate of engagement across the four-weeks was 82.5% for attending weekly group videoconferences, 85% for completing online modules, and 57.5% for syncing their arm-based activity monitor. Ninety percent of the sample synced their arm-based physical activity monitor and overall engagement as a function of each component across the 4 weeks was 75%. CONCLUSIONS The intervention had sufficiently high levels of engagement to be used in a full randomized-controlled trial (RCT) to test its effectiveness in improving levels of physical activity among people with spinal cord injury. The knowledge we gained from this pilot study informed improvements that were made in the full RCT.