Project Type
independent
Project Lead Center
Moss Traumatic Brain Injury Model System
Project Start Date
09/01/2022
Project End Date
09/30/2027

The importance of physical activity (PA) for human health and well-being is incontrovertible, but many people with disabilities fall short of PA levels recommended to maximize health. People with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) have decreased PA levels after injury due to cognitive, physical, and logistical limitations. In the current study, we will conduct a randomized, wait-list controlled trial of a novel, theoretically grounded, remotely delivered PA program in a sample of 70 ambulatory, inactive, community-dwelling persons with msTBI sustained at least 6 months prior to enrollment. Each participant’s PA plan will be created collaboratively via Zoom and phone meetings with a therapist, and supported by a smartphone-enabled chatbot that provides individualized reminders and reinforcers for PA engagement. On completion of the 10-week program, participants will be randomized to another 10 weeks of continued chatbot use (follow-through) or no follow-through. The primary outcome will be accelerometry-measured changes in PA from baseline to the end of the active treatment phase. Secondary outcomes include maintenance of PA in the follow-through phase and effects of the PA program on measures of sleep, pain interference, emotional well-being, and health-related quality of life.