A-B-C Program for Sedentary Older Adults With Depressive Symptoms

"The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the 4-week A-B-C program in implementing and maintaining daily PA. We will explore outcomes for the effectiveness of the program, on (1) increasing the weekly duration of PA, and (2) reducing baseline depressive symptoms and other mental health outcomes among sedentary older adults with depressive symptoms at baseline. Specifically, we will evaluate the change in depressive symptoms, stress, and self-esteem from baseline, at the end of the 4-week intervention, and after additional 4 weeks from the end of the intervention (at follow-up). The intervention will be 4 weeks overall, with total of 8 sessions: the duration of each session will be 60 minutes each, and the frequency will be twice weekly for 4 weeks."

"The control group will serve as an sham active comparator, designed to control for group format, scheduled sessions, and social interaction. The agenda for the control group was designed to specifically function as a control to compare the A-B-C program. These participants will also attend twice-weekly 60-minute sessions over four weeks, focusing on educational content about the health benefits of physical activity and current physical activity guidelines.~The difference between the two interventions is that the control program is strictly educational, whereas the A-B-C program focuses on challenging cognitive biases that change decision making related to physical activity. To reiterate, the control program simply provides education on the effects of physical activity with physiological evidence."