# Move Often eVery Day (MOV'D): An occupationally-tailored, remotely-delivered, socially-supported short exercise break intervention to decrease sedentary behavior in receptionist office staff

> **NIH NIH R34** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $231,600

## Abstract

7. Project Summary / Abstract.
Prolonged sitting and inadequate moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) are pervasive risk
factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).1–6 CVD is the leading cause of death globally, prematurely taking
655,000 American lives annually.7 Recent research has shown that some benefits of moderate to vigorous
physical activity can be accrued in motivationally accessible, short, 2-5 minute bouts throughout the day rather
than needing to be a single, longer, continuous bout.8–13 Identifying an effective intervention to interrupt
prolonged sitting throughout the day with short, 2-5 minute bouts of MVPA, “exercise snacks,” can provide an
accessible way for adults with sedentary jobs to change two CVD risk factors. The current R34 proposes to
user-test and pilot the acceptability, feasibility, and clinical signal detection of a novel intervention, MOV’D, to
interrupt prolonged sitting with short bouts of MVPA, compared with a Fitbit-only control. Preliminary evidence
from an NHLBI K01-funded proof-of-concept study found that evidence-based behavior change technique
(BCT) texts to a private, social-media based support group increased steps throughout the day compared to a
Fitbit-only control group, but the effects did not last. MOV’D significantly adds to this initial work by: adding
videos teaching exercise snacks and BCTs to increase initial and maintained change; adding a peer-coach
feature to increase engagement; targeting exercise snacks instead of single exercise bouts; and targeting an
at-risk, understudied population (receptionists and clerical health care staff with CVD risk factors). Our team
partnered with upper management of Stanford clerical health care staff (low wage positions with high job
constraints on physical activity). Together, we have occupationally-tailored the MOV’D program. Before
conducting a fully-powered efficacy trial (ORBIT Phase III), we need to user-test and refine two intervention
components with our target population (ORBIT Phase Ib; Aim 1); and conduct the necessary acceptability,
feasibility, and clinical signal detection pilot trial (ORBIT Phase IIb; Aim 2), which will obtain recruitment and
retention parameters to inform the Phase III trial. The Aim 1 user-testing of both the exercise snack and BCT
videos will be done with participants from the target population to ensure learning effectiveness,
appropriateness, and acceptability. The Aim 2 pilot will randomly assign n=60 participants from the target
population to either MOV’D or a Fitbit-only control for 6-weeks, with a 6-month follow-up. We will compare
immediate and 6-month data to a priori benchmarks for acceptability, feasibility, and clinical signal detection in
workday prolonged sitting bout length and workday MVPA minutes. Results from the proposed R34 will directly
inform the R01 for the Phase III trial of MOV’D to test efficacy and duration of effects. The long-term objective
is to have a scalable, widely-accessible...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10906235
- **Project number:** 5R34HL166858-02
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Marily Oppezzo
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $231,600
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-11 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10906235

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10906235, Move Often eVery Day (MOV'D): An occupationally-tailored, remotely-delivered, socially-supported short exercise break intervention to decrease sedentary behavior in receptionist office staff (5R34HL166858-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10906235. Licensed CC0.

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