PA telephone coaching resulted in a significant increase in MVPA that was maintained at 9-months in adults attending ambulatory secondary care clinics. The intervention also resulted in significant improvements in body mass, waist circumference, BMI, PA self-efficacy, and HrQoL. The positive changes exhibited in outcomes at 3-months and 9-months indicate short-term and maintenance effects of the intervention. The attrition rate of 10% was low. This study offers important information on the potential effects that can be achieved by a targeted, patient-centred PA lifestyle intervention delivered in an ambulatory hospital setting.
The intervention led to higher MVPA levels in the short and the long-term compared to the control group. The intervention group significantly increased MVPA at 3 months (post-intervention) and maintained this change at 9-month follow-up. In contrast, the objectively assessed MVPA of the control group declined below baseline at 3 months, and declined further at follow-up. Very few studies have analysed the long-term effects of remotely delivered PA coaching [8, 28]. The effect size observed in this study (0.20) was higher than that found (0.11) in a meta-analysis of remote PA interventions for self-reported PA change [29]. Additionally, self-reported PA following a PA coaching intervention was maintained after a no-contact follow-up, whereas objectively assessed PA decreased [30]. Objectively measured increases in MVPA in the intervention group that were maintained following a 6-month no-contact period indicate that change in behaviour was maintained at 9 months.
The majority of intervention participants were meeting the PA guidelines at 3 months and 9 months. This was in stark contrast to the control group where the proportion of sufficiently active individuals decreased at 3 months and decreased further at 9 months. The increase in MVPA in the intervention group and the group differences between the control and the intervention group are highly relevant. Previous studies have documented that 15 minutes a day of MVPA can decrease chronic disease risk [3], attenuate the risk of sedentary behaviours [31], and reduce all-cause mortality [32]. Participants in the intervention group not only significantly increased MVPA from baseline to follow-up, but on average attained the recommended levels of PA. The observed effects of the intervention on MVPA can be considered sustainable given the objectively measured MVPA levels were maintained 6 months after the end of the intervention.
Compared to control, the intervention participants experienced improvements in their body mass, waist circumference and BMI from baseline to follow-up. These improvements were maintained during the no contact period from the end of coaching sessions for a further 6 months. At follow-up, the intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in body mass (-2.1 kg), WC (-1.3 cm), and BMI (-0.8 kg/m2). The magnitude of long-term change in anthropometrics is comparable to changes reported in other studies using telephone coaching interventions, though none of these were conducted in the ambulatory hospital setting [33, 34]. The positive changes in the intervention group and the group differences between the intervention and control group are relevant, and could have important population-health implications for addressing chronic disease risk factors. Even at modest levels, weight loss and decreases in waist circumference are beneficial for chronic disease risk reduction [35, 36]. The recruitment into this study was based upon changing PA, not anthropometrics. Additionally, intervention components only addressed issues relating to PA beliefs, attitudes and plans. The positive results for these secondary outcomes indicates that PA moderately, but significantly induces anthropometric changes, and it is important in the maintenance of these changes [37].
Baseline scores for PA self-efficacy indicated that both groups had low-to-moderate confidence in their ability to be physically active. In the control group PA self-efficacy decreased significantly over time. This contrasted with the trajectory of the intervention group, who increased PA self-efficacy at 3 months, and even further at 9 months. The changes in PA self-efficacy potentially mediated the changes in PA amongst the groups [38]. The intervention increased PA self-efficacy and PA, while the control group demonstrated simultaneous decreases in both these outcomes. The MI-CBT intervention demonstrated efficacy in improving psychological determinants in the short and long term, including self-efficacy to overcome exercise barriers and maintain change. Self-monitoring, goal setting, feedback on outcome of behavior and action planning are known to be effective for behaviour change, and can strengthen autonomy which is important for maintenance of change [39]. MI-CBT strategies can influence the determinants associated with PA maintenance if implemented correctly, and appear to be particularly important for long-term effects [40].
Strengths and limitations
Using consulting surgeons to identify insufficiently physically active individuals was an important strength of this study. Once identified, surgeons discussed the need for PA change with insufficiently active patients and referred them to the study. This approach was based on surgeons’ stated preferences, previously ascertained, for clear referral pathways into specialist behaviour change programs [41], and demonstrates how preventive health can be successfully embedded into routine ambulatory hospital care. The use of sequentially numbered study fliers permitted the calculation of the PA intervention interest and uptake. It is encouraging in this respect that one-third of the individuals made contact with the study team after referral by a surgeon, and almost 20% went on to undertake PA coaching of some type.
The uptake of the intervention itself is also promising given the opt-in procedure that was used and the eligibility criteria that were applied. Many insufficiently active people are not ready to change important behaviours and are therefore unlikely to volunteer for a study such as this [42]. Nevertheless, the individuals who did enroll in the study still needed to make those changes and we were able to demonstrate effectiveness in this group due to the robust nature of the RCT study design. This strengthens confidence in the transferability and scalability of our findings. In the H4U study we demonstrated the efficacy of PA telephone coaching in self-selected sample of ambulatory care patients [14]; in this study we have demonstrated its effectiveness when used as the end point in a referral pathway starting with consultant surgeons working in ambulatory secondary care.
The participant retention rate in this study was high, with only 12 participants lost to follow-up. Intervention adherence rate was also high, with 96% of participants receiving all 5 sessions of telephone coaching. The use of objectively measured PA at all time points was a considerable strength of the study, offering precise estimates of PA intensity. For a regional hospital, delivering the PA intervention via telephone permitted extending the reach to both geographically and socially disadvantaged areas. A limitation of the study may be the involvement of only one hospital, though this permitted the continuation of a previous body of work towards integrating preventive health in that hospital. Additionally, the broad generalizability of these findings might be difficult because the majority of participants were female and obese.