"Not just another walking program": everyday activity supports You (EASY) model-a randomized pilot study for a parallel randomized controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Maintaining physical activity is an important goal with positive health benefits, yet many people spend most of their day sitting. Our Everyday Activity Supports You (EASY) model aims to encourage movement through daily activities and utilitarian walking. The primary objective of this phase was to test study feasibility (recruitment and retention rates) for the EASY model. METHODS: This 6-month study took place in Vancouver, Canada, from May to December 2013, with data analyses in February 2014. Participants were healthy, inactive, community-dwelling women aged 55-70 years. We recruited through advertisements in local community newspapers and randomized participants using a remote web service. The model included the following: group-based education and social support, individualized physical activity prescription (called Activity 4-1-1), and use of a Fitbit activity monitor. The control group received health-related information only. The main outcome measures were descriptions of study feasibility (recruitment and retention rates). We also collected information on activity patterns (ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers) and health-related outcomes such as body composition (height and weight using standard techniques), blood pressure (automatic blood pressure monitor), and psychosocial variables (questionnaires). RESULTS: We advertised in local community newspapers to recruit participants. Over 3 weeks, 82 participants telephoned; following screening, 68% (56/82) met the inclusion criteria and 45% (25/56) were randomized by remote web-based allocation. This included 13 participants in the intervention group and 12 participants in the control group (education). At 6 months, 12/13 (92%) intervention and 8/12 (67%) control participants completed the final assessment. Controlling for baseline values, the intervention group had an average of 2,080 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 704, 4,918] more steps/day at 6 months compared with the control group. There was an average between group difference in weight loss of -4.3 [95% CI -6.22, -2.40] kg and reduction in diastolic blood pressure of -8.54 [95% CI -16.89, -0.198] mmHg, in favor of EASY. CONCLUSIONS: The EASY pilot study was feasible to deliver; there was an increase in physical activity and reduction in weight and blood pressure for intervention participants at 6 months. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01842061.
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Synchronizing the mobile application with a wearable device seems to be more effective than interventions without such a device.
“In addition, the patients synchronized the mobile application with a wearable device, which seems to be more effective [29,39] than interventions without such a device.”
From Impact of a primary care-based mobile health intervention to ‘sit less and move more’ on HbA1c, blood pressure, and other clinical outcomes in office employees with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial (2025) · cites this paper as [39]
The Intervention group and Control group sections describe a Fitbit-supported program versus education without a Fitbit; the Results report 2,080 more steps per day for the program at six months. But the program also included education, social support, and individualized activity guidance. The paper does not establish that synchronizing a mobile app with the wearable—or the wearable itself—made the intervention more effective. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredManagement of incomplete outcome data was assessed as high risk in 2 studies [29,38].
“The management of incomplete outcome data was assessed as high risk in 2 studies [29,38].”
From Consumer-based wearable activity trackers increase physical activity participation: systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
The Results report incomplete final assessments, with 12/13 intervention participants and 8/12 control participants completing them. The Discussion acknowledges lower control-group retention and says a larger trial would use multiple imputation for missing data. These passages support concern about incomplete outcome data, but the paper does not itself assess its management as high risk or establish the count of two studies. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredEight studies that reported physical activity outcome measures had greater than 20% loss to follow-up, with three of these reporting a reduction in physical activity participation.
“In addition, 8 studies [29,32,33,37,42,43,46,48] that reported physical activity outcome measures had greater than 20% loss to follow-up, with 3 of these studies reporting a reduction in physical activity participation.”
From Consumer-based wearable activity trackers increase physical activity participation: systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
The Results report physical-activity outcomes and a decline in step counts and moderate-to-vigorous activity among control participants. They also report that 20 of 25 randomized participants completed the final assessment: overall loss to follow-up was exactly 20%, not greater than 20%. Control-group loss was greater than 20%, but that does not support the claim about the study overall (Results; page unavailable in our copy). (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA total of 26 studies were included across all meta-analyses.
“A total of 26 studies were included across all meta-analyses [21,22,29-48,50-53].”
From Consumer-based wearable activity trackers increase physical activity participation: systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
Less time was spent in sedentary behavior for those receiving a consumer-based wearable activity tracker intervention compared with control groups; however, the finding was not significant, and the quality of the evidence was graded as very low.
“Less time was spent in sedentary behavior for those receiving a consumer-based wearable activity tracker intervention compared with control groups; however, the finding was not significant, and the quality of the evidence was graded as very low [29,31-33,37-40].”
From Consumer-based wearable activity trackers increase physical activity participation: systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
Previous studies have reported a greater effect of longer interventions compared to shorter ones.
“Previous studies [39,40] have reported a greater effect of longer interventions compared to shorter ones [41].”
From Impact of a primary care-based mobile health intervention to ‘sit less and move more’ on HbA1c, blood pressure, and other clinical outcomes in office employees with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial (2025) · cites this paper as [39]
The Results section compares outcomes at three and six months within the same EASY intervention, but does not compare longer interventions with shorter ones. Searches for the claimed duration–effect relationship found no passage in our copy that reports it. (LLM, conf=0.74)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA sensitivity analysis excluding the study by Ashe et al, in which there was a weight difference between the control and intervention groups at baseline, showed similar results (P=.86).
“A sensitivity analysis excluding the study by Ashe et al. [68], in which there was a weight difference between the control and intervention groups at baseline, showed similar results (P=.86).”
From Fitbit-based interventions for healthy lifestyle outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as [68]
Pilot trials do sometimes assess potential effectiveness using surrogate outcomes.
“Nevertheless, pilot trials do sometimes assess potential effectiveness using surrogate outcomes. For example, oxygenation of the blood as a surrogate measure for improved lung function and survival [20] or the number of steps walked each day as a surrogate for clinical measures of heart disease [21].”
From CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials (2016) · cites this paper as [21]
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References 64 · Cited by 103
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- WHO. Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. Geneva: World Health Organization Press; 2009.
- Authors
- Ashe, M. C., Winters, M., Hoppmann, C. A., Dawes, M. G., Gardiner, P. A., Giangregorio, L. M., Madden, K. M., McAllister, M. M., Wong, G., Puyat, J. H., Singer, J., Sims-Gould, J., & McKay, H. A.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Ashe, Maureen C
- ORCID
- Venue
- Pilot and Feasibility Studies
- Published
- 2015-01-12
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4-4
- ISSN
- 2055-5784 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4862805
- OpenAlex
- W2114133156
- Cited by
- 103
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 5.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Pilot and Feasibility Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- cIRcle (University of British Columbia) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Open Collections
- Funders
- Michael Smith Health Research BC
- Canada Research Chairs
- Centre for Hip Health and Mobility
- U.S. Public Health Service (108607-1)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (108607, 108607_1)
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council (1000986)
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Context-Aware Activity Recognition Systems
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- physical activity promotion, utilitarian walking, daily activities, older women, physical activity prescription, social support, group education, recruitment and retention, feasibility, step count, weight loss, blood pressure, sedentary behavior, accelerometry, body composition, community-dwelling women
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