Protocol outlines remote physical activity trial for women aged 50 and older

The Active Women over 50 study is a protocol for a hybrid type I effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial involving 1,000 community-dwelling women aged 50 years and older across New South Wales, Australia. About half of participants are expected to live in rural or regional areas. After setting two physical activity goals with a health coach, participants will be randomized to the intervention or a waitlist control group, which will receive the program after six months.

The intervention combines two telephone coaching sessions, behavior-change messages by email or text, a program website, and a moderated private Facebook group. The primary outcome is average daily steps measured by ActiGraph accelerometers at baseline and six months. Secondary outcomes include other measures of physical activity, falls, quality of life, health-service use, implementation and scalability; an economic analysis is also planned.

This article reports the trial design, not effectiveness results. The protocol was prospectively registered (ACTRN12624000026527) and is supported by Australia’s Medical Research Future Fund; the University of Sydney is the primary sponsor. The planned findings may inform the feasibility and impact of remote support across varied geographic settings, but no conclusions about benefit or cost-effectiveness can yet be drawn.