Physical Activity Together for People With Multiple Sclerosis and Their Care Partners: Protocol for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of a Dyadic Intervention

Abstract

Background Physical activity (PA) is beneficial for all people; however, people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) find regular PA challenging. These people may include individuals with advanced disabilities and their care partners. Objective The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of a dyadic PA intervention for people with advanced MS and their care partners. Methods This study is a randomized controlled feasibility trial of a 12-week intervention, with 1:1 allocation into an immediate intervention condition or delayed control condition. A target of 20 people with MS–care partner dyads will be included. The outcomes will be indicators of process, resources, management, and scientific feasibility. Participant satisfaction with the intervention components will be evaluated using a satisfaction survey. The subjective experience of participation in the study will be explored using semistructured interviews. Results The project is funded by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. This protocol was approved by the Ottawa Hospital Research Ethics Board (20190329-01H) and the University of Ottawa Research Ethics Board (H-09-19-4886). The study protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov in February 2020. The findings of this feasibility trial will be disseminated through presentations at community events to engage the MS population in the interpretation of our results and in the next steps. The results will also be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented to the scientific community at national and international MS conferences. Conclusions The data collected from this feasibility trial will be used to refine the intervention and materials in preparation for a pilot randomized controlled trial. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04267185; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04267185. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/18410

The Feasibility and Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Tandem Cycling Program for Persons with Parkinson’s Disease and Their Care Partners

“…Care partners (CP) of PwPD experience tremendous burden due to their role as caregivers, and recent reviews have identified negative changes in physical health, depression, and even increased risk of all-cause mortality [8,9]. Dyadic exercise interventions engaging both care recipients and CP have been identified as a means to reduce CP burden and improve wellbeing across other neurodegenerative diseases [10][11][12]. However, no such interventions have been conducted for PwPD and their CP.…”

Prioritizing Components of a Dyadic Physical Activity Intervention for People With Moderate to Severe Multiple Sclerosis and Their Care Partners: A Modified e-Delphi Study

“…The full details of the PAT-MS intervention content, including theoretical frameworks, are reported in the published protocol. 10 In brief, the content and processes of PAT-MS are theoretically grounded in the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management (TDIM), 11 with direction from social cognitive theory (SCT) 12 and selfdetermination theory (SDT). 13 The basic tenet of TDIM is that the way that dyads affected by chronic diseases (eg, MS) appraise disease impact as an interdependent team influences how they engage in health-promoting behaviors (eg, PA), which, in turn, influences dyadic health.…”

“…11 The TDIM emphasizes the importance of targeting both partners simultaneously to ensure sustainable change in health outcomes for each individual and for the dyad. We used SCT 12 and SDT 13 to identify key theoretical constructs (eg, self-efficacy from SCT; relatedness and intrinsic motivation from SDT) that influence PA behavior to be included in PAT-MS. Also, SCT 12 and SDT 13 provided guidance for selecting behavior change techniques (eg, goal setting, problem-solving, and behavioral practice) 14 to alter or redirect causal processes that regulate PA behavior (see Table 1 in the published protocol 10 for details of behavior change techniques in PAT-MS). PAT-MS includes 3 main components: (1) education (ie, provision of information about PA, shared disease appraisal, and benefits of shared participation in PA as a dyadic coping strategy); (2) guidance from a trained activity coach (ie, an activity coach will provide verbal and written instruction, including behavioral strategies commonly used in dyadic health interventions for persons with neurologic conditions and their care partners 15 ); and (3) social support (ie, provision of practical, emotional, and informational support, including links to community resources for continued PA participation and opportunities to learn from other group members).…”