Project BIPAMS: Behavioral Intervention for Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis

NCT ID: NCT03490240

Last Updated: 2025-12-22

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

280 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-03-01

Study Completion Date

2026-12-31

Brief Summary

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This randomized controlled trial will examine the effect of a 6-month behavioral intervention, based on social cognitive theory and delivered through the Internet, for increasing physical activity and secondarily improving mobility, cognition, symptoms and quality of life in persons with MS. The investigators hypothesize that individuals who receive the 6-month behavioral intervention will demonstrate an increase in physical activity behavior that will last throughout a 6-month follow up compared with participants in the control condition. The investigators further hypothesize that individuals in the behavioral intervention will demonstrate better walking mobility and cognitive function, reduced fatigue, depression, anxiety, and pain, and improved quality of life compared to the control condition. The investigators hypothesize that the behavioral intervention will increase physical activity through positive changes in self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goal setting, and impediments as social-cognitive determinants.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Multiple Sclerosis

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants
The investigators will advertise the study as comparing two approaches delivered through the Internet for managing consequences of MS and improving health indicators. On randomization, the investigators will again reaffirm this position with the participant. The participant will not be informed about which condition is the control or the intervention.

Study Groups

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BIPAMS

The behavioral intervention consists of two primary components, a dedicated Internet website and one-on-one video chats with a behavioral coach via Skype. The behavioral intervention focuses on the skills, techniques, resources, and strategies for becoming and staying physically active with MS, but it does not provide a prescription for exercise or physical activity itself.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

BIPAMS

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The primary content of the website is delivered through interactive video courses. The interactive video courses are released seven times during the first two months, four times during the second two months, and twice during the final two months of the intervention.

Another key part of the website is the Tracker feature. This feature allows for tracking of daily step counts (via Yamax SW-200 pedometer) as well as setting goals and monitoring progress over the program.

The one-on-one video chats are conducted face to face through skype and are semi-scripted. The chats consist of an ongoing review of goal-setting and progress toward goal attainment through Tracker as well as discussion of strategies and facilitators of behavioral change based on SCT and current website content. The chats occur seven times during the first two months, four times during the second two months, and twice during the final two months of the intervention.

WELLMS

The control condition provides an Internet website and one-on-one video chats that discuss materials about self-managing MS consequences and health indicators through methods other than physical activity.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

WELLMS

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The control condition focuses on self-managing MS through means other than physical activity. The materials are transformations of brochures provided by the NMSS, including Gait or Walking Problems: The Basic Facts; MS and Your Emotions; Pain: The Basic Facts; Solving Cognitive Problems; Taming Stress in MS; Food for Thought: MS and Nutrition; and Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs: An Introduction. The delivery of the Internet materials and chat sessions will occur on the same time schedule and frequency as the intervention condition, and will have a comparable time commitment. The control condition will account for attention and social contact as well as other possible biases such as initial reactivity and time spent on the website and video chats. The participants in the control condition will not be offered the behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity after completion of the study procedures.

Interventions

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BIPAMS

The primary content of the website is delivered through interactive video courses. The interactive video courses are released seven times during the first two months, four times during the second two months, and twice during the final two months of the intervention.

Another key part of the website is the Tracker feature. This feature allows for tracking of daily step counts (via Yamax SW-200 pedometer) as well as setting goals and monitoring progress over the program.

The one-on-one video chats are conducted face to face through skype and are semi-scripted. The chats consist of an ongoing review of goal-setting and progress toward goal attainment through Tracker as well as discussion of strategies and facilitators of behavioral change based on SCT and current website content. The chats occur seven times during the first two months, four times during the second two months, and twice during the final two months of the intervention.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

WELLMS

The control condition focuses on self-managing MS through means other than physical activity. The materials are transformations of brochures provided by the NMSS, including Gait or Walking Problems: The Basic Facts; MS and Your Emotions; Pain: The Basic Facts; Solving Cognitive Problems; Taming Stress in MS; Food for Thought: MS and Nutrition; and Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs: An Introduction. The delivery of the Internet materials and chat sessions will occur on the same time schedule and frequency as the intervention condition, and will have a comparable time commitment. The control condition will account for attention and social contact as well as other possible biases such as initial reactivity and time spent on the website and video chats. The participants in the control condition will not be offered the behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity after completion of the study procedures.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of MS
* Relapse free in the past 30 days
* Internet and email access
* Willingness to complete the questionnaires, wear the accelerometer, and undergo randomization
* Being non-active defined as not engaging in regular activity (30 minutes accumulated per day) on more than 2 days of the week during the previous six months
* Ability to ambulate with or without assistance (i.e. walking with or without a can or walker, but not a wheelchair)
* Age between 18 and 64

Exclusion Criteria

* Moderate or high risk for undertaking strenuous or maximal exercise per participants response to the PAR-Q. Those who report no more than one YES or affirmative on the 7 item PAR-Q will be considered at low risk and included for participation. All others will be considered at moderate or high risk and excluded from participation.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

64 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Multiple Sclerosis Society

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Donald Lein

Primary Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Donald Lein, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Associate Professor

Locations

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Exercise Neuroscience Research Lab

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Motl RW, Kidwell-Chandler A, Sandroff BM, Pilutti LA, Cutter GR, Aldunate R, Bollaert RE. Primary results of a phase-III, randomized controlled trial of the Behavioral Intervention for increasing Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis project. Mult Scler. 2023 Mar;29(3):415-426. doi: 10.1177/13524585221146430.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36843446 (View on PubMed)

Motl RW, Sandroff BM, Pilutti LA, Cutter GR, Aldunate R, Kidwell-Chandler A, Bollaert RE. Randomized controlled trial of the behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity in multiple sclerosis project: Secondary, patient-reported outcomes. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 Feb;125:107056. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.107056. Epub 2022 Dec 16.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36535606 (View on PubMed)

Silveira SL, McCroskey J, Wingo BC, Motl RW. eHealth-Based Behavioral Intervention for Increasing Physical Activity in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: Fidelity Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2019 Mar 1;8(3):e12319. doi: 10.2196/12319.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 30821692 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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170609001

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id