# Mechanisms of Adherence to Light Intensity Physical Activity to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

> **NIH NIH R33** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · 2024 · $796,682

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) by even a few years could amass
substantial improvements in quality of life for individuals and families, independent living, and the cost of
specialized healthcare. Positive cognitive outcomes associated with physical activity interventions conducted in
middle-aged and older adults have increased the promise that primary prevention of ADRD may be achievable
via lifestyle change. It may take years to decades of adherence to health promoting behaviors to realize
appreciable gains in cognitive health span. Critically, while lifestyle interventions are supportive of behavior
change in the short-term, longer-term maintenance of cognitive health promoting behaviors (i.e. continued
enactment of these behaviors 6+ months after completion of the intervention) has proven difficult to achieve.
The current project will leverage an mHealth approach using commercially-available technology (smart
phones, wrist-worn activity monitors) to promote long-term maintenance of light intensity physical activity
(LIPA) in middle-aged adults at increased risk for ADRD (adults with obesity). Following a health education
session with a certified exercise physiologist, our approach will deliver the other intervention components:
adaptive daily step goal setting (both arms), self-monitoring (both arms), and interim goal setting every 2-3
hours (treatment arm-only), on study smart phones, over the course of participants daily lives. We aim to
demonstrate that the interim goal setting manipulation to the intervention can lead to greater long-term
maintenance of LIPA by keeping LIPA goals active in the focus attention during each day of the intervention
period and increasing LIPA self-efficacy through regular goal attainment. Goal maintenance (indicated by self-
monitoring frequency) will be quantified via participant interactions with custom-integrated Fitbit wrist-worn
activity monitors and the Mobile Monitoring of Cognitive Change (M2C2) component of the forthcoming NIH
Mobile Toolbox. Fitbits will be configured with a custom-designed clockface that displays accumulated step
counts when a ‘check my steps’ button is pressed. Logging and timestamping these interactions will allow for
quantification of self-monitoring frequency. We propose that development of these adherence-promoting
mechanisms (goal maintenance and self-efficacy) can act as a self-regulatory scaffold from which long-term
health promotion gains can be realized. The current project will: 1) demonstrate the ability of interim goal
setting to engage our proposed adherence-promoting targets (Aim 1); 2) test the efficacy of the interim goal
setting manipulation to increase short- and long-term LIPA maintenance following the intervention through goal
maintenance and increased self-efficacy (Aim 2); 3) examine how variation in cognition influences the ability of
the intervention to engage goal maintenance (Aim 3); 4) explore the lo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10912079
- **Project number:** 5R33AG078084-03
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan G. Hakun
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $796,682
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10912079

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10912079, Mechanisms of Adherence to Light Intensity Physical Activity to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (5R33AG078084-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10912079. Licensed CC0.

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