# Effectiveness and Implementation of a Brief Motivational Intervention to Increase Physical Activity for World Trade Center Health Program Cancer Survivors

> **NIH ALLCDC R21** · STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK · 2024 · $237,077

## Abstract

Project Summary
The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) tracks the ongoing health and well-being of first responders
and people who lived and worked near the World Trade Center. As WTCHP participants age, it is important to
identify pragmatic interventions to address their most common health conditions. Physical activity (PA) is a
lifestyle intervention that can improve fatigue and overall health, and lead to other beneficial lifestyle changes for
people with cancer. PA is safe in people with cancer, yet a majority do not meet exercise guidelines. Although
PA has many health benefits, interventions to support patients are not routinely incorporated into clinical practice.
Evidence-based guidelines recommend PA counseling in clinical care and health professionals strongly believe
they should be doing this. However, a gap remains in implementing PA interventions at the point of care. WTCHP
participants with cancer would benefit from an evidence-based motivational intervention to initiate or maintain
PA. In the proposed study, we will use a Hybrid Type II randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness and
implementation of a brief motivational intervention to increase PA in a sample of WTCHP participants with
cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test and implement a motivational intervention to support PA
within the WTCHP population.
The study will employ a randomized wait-list controlled trial with a Hybrid (effectiveness–implementation) Type
II design. Type II Hybrid designs test the effectiveness of a clinical intervention while simultaneously evaluating
an implementation approach for embedding the clinical intervention at the point of care. Aim 1 will determine the
effectiveness of a brief motivational intervention to increase PA in a group of WTCHP cancer survivors compared
to an enhanced standard of care. Aim 2 will test the feasibility and potential utility of theory-driven implementation
strategies to increase the adoption, fidelity, and sustainment of a brief motivational intervention to increase PA
in a group of WTCHP cancer survivors compared to an enhanced standard of care.
Participants will be randomized to the intervention plus a nutrition program or a nutrition program alone
(enhanced usual care). The intervention includes brief motivational components (motivational interviewing,
mobile health, and action planning) and participants will be encouraged to plan a PA program that fits their
lifestyle and abilities. The intervention will last 3 months with a 3-month maintenance follow-up. Following the 3-
month wait-list, participants in the control group will be offered the intervention.
Developing evidence-based lifestyle interventions has the potential to lead to sustained behavior change that
can alleviate health conditions and improve quality of life. The combination of testing effectiveness and
implementation strategies in this study will speed the incorporation of evidence-based physical activity
interve...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10993926
- **Project number:** 1R21OH012630-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STONY BROOK
- **Principal Investigator:** Pamela K Ginex
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $237,077
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10993926

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10993926, Effectiveness and Implementation of a Brief Motivational Intervention to Increase Physical Activity for World Trade Center Health Program Cancer Survivors (1R21OH012630-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10993926. Licensed CC0.

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