Skip to content

The Supporting Her In Navigating Exercise Program: Examining Peer Support to Promote Exercise Among Undergraduate Women

Social Support (Formal and Informal)

The purpose of this randomized controlled pilot trial is to test the effectiveness of a six-week tailored physical activity program with and without peer mentoring on the psychological constructs and exercise behaviour of inactive undergraduate women. The objectives are to:

* Quantify the degree to which a peer-mentorship intervention affects exercise motivation determined through three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness).
* Examine general psychological distress and exercise engagement throughout the study.
* Qualitatively explore participants' experiences following the completion of the program using an open-ended survey to gain a better understanding of its impact.

Researchers will compare the parallel arm conditions to see how the inclusion of social support impacts exercise engagement.

Participants will be asked to engage in exercise three times a week at the campus gym; those in the intervention condition will have an assigned peer-mentor who will join them for one weekly session and virtually communicate with them between sessions.

null

Participation Requirements

  • Sex:

    FEMALE

  • Eligible Ages:

    0 and up

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Identify as a woman
* Full-time undergraduate student at Lakehead University
* Classified as an exercise initiate (e.g., report one or fewer bouts of exercise per week)
* Reported an absence of health risks that would interfere with exercise engagement as determined by the Get Active Questionnaire
* Able to commute to Lakehead's campus
* Want to become more active
* Have access to online technology (e.g., email, zoom)
* Can speak, read, and write in English fluently

Exclusion Criteria:

* Identify as a man
* Not enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at Lakehead University
* Report the presence of health risks that would interfere with exercise engagement
* Meet the national physical activity guidelines (e.g., 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week)
* Unable to commute to campus
* Lack of access to technology
* Not fluent in English

Study Location

Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada

Contact Study Team

Backup Contact

Erin Pearson, PhD

[email protected]
807-343-8010
Primary Contact

Madeline Fabiano, MSc (candidate)

[email protected]
8073552204
Study Sponsored By
Lakehead University
Participants Required
More Information
Study ID: NCT06823336