MAP to Health Pilot Study: A Physical Activity Intervention for Midlife Adults

Primary outcomes

1. Meaning Salience

   Time frame: 12 weeks

   The Meaning Awareness Scale is a 6-item self-report measure that assesses meaning salience. Participants rate the extent to which they were aware of meaning over the past day (e.g, "I was aware of the meaning in my life" on a 7-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 (rarely) to 7 (very often). Items are averaged for a total score (range, 1-7). Participants complete the scale on three random days during each of the four assessment periods and total scores are averaged across those three days. A higher score signifies greater meaning salience, a better outcome.

2. Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction

   Time frame: 12 weeks

   The Psychological Needs Satisfaction in Exercise Scale is a self-report measure used to assess participants' satisfaction of three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in exercise. The scale has 18 items that participants rate on a 6-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (false) to 6 (true). Items are averaged within each subscale (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) with possible scores ranging from 1-6. Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness, a better outcome.

3. Autonomous Motivation

   Time frame: 12 weeks

   • Autonomous motivation was measured using the Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire, version 4. The 28-item self-report measure assesses motivations for exercise on the self-determination theory continuum. There are 7 subscales with 4 items each (intrinsic, integrated, identified, introjected - approach, introjected - avoidance, external, and amotivation). Items are summed within each subscale (total score range, 4-28). The subscales were combined using a bifurcation approach, where subscale scores were averaged into two subscales: autonomous (intrinsic, integrated, and identified, total score range 4-28) and controlled motivation (introjected-approach, introjected - avoidance, and external, total score range, 4-28). Higher scores on the autonomous subscale indicate greater internalized motivation, a positive outcome, whereas higher scores on the controlled subscale indicates greater external motivation, a negative outcome.

4. Technology Acceptance

   Time frame: within 1 week post-intervention

   Participants answered 10 questions rating the extent to which they found the MAP to Health intervention easy to use (4 items) and useful (4-items) and their intentions to use the intervention in the future (2 items). Survey questions were based on previous research and modified for the purposes of this study. Participants rated each item on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Items were averaged within each subscale, with possible total scores ranging from 1-5. A higher score represents greater technology acceptance, a better outcome.