title: Maintaining high activity levels in sedentary adults with a reinforcement-thinning schedule.
abstract: Physical inactivity is a leading cause of mortality. Reinforcement interventions appear to be useful for increasing activity and preventing adverse consequences of sedentary lifestyles. This study evaluated a reinforcement-thinning schedule for maintaining high activity levels. Sedentary adults (N = 77) were given pedometers and encouraged to walk ≥10,000 steps per day. Initially, all participants earned rewards for each day they walked ≥10,000 steps. Subsequently, 61 participants were randomized to a monitoring-only condition or a monitoring-plus-reinforcement-thinning condition, in which frequencies of monitoring and reinforcing walking decreased over 12 weeks. The mean (± SD) percentage of participants in the monitoring-plus-reinforcement-thinning condition who met walking goals was 83% ± 24% and was 55% ± 31% for participants in the monitoring-only condition, p < .001. Thus, monitoring plus reinforcement thinning maintained high rates of walking when it was in effect; however, groups did not differ at a 24-week follow-up. Monitoring plus reinforcement thinning, nevertheless, hold potential to extend benefits of reinforcement interventions at low costs.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Leonardo F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Litt
authors.forename: Nancy M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Petry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: contingency management; reinforcement schedule; sedentary adults; walking