title: Simulated Partners and Collaborative Exercise (SPACE) to boost motivation for astronauts: study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Astronauts may have difficulty adhering to exercise regimens at vigorous intensity levels during long space missions. Vigorous exercise is important for aerobic and musculoskeletal health during space missions and afterwards. A key impediment to maintaining vigorous exercise is motivation. Finding ways to motivate astronauts to exercise at levels necessary to mitigate reductions in musculoskeletal health and aerobic capacity have not been explored. The focus of Simulated Partners and Collaborative Exercise (SPACE) is to use recently documented motivation gains in task groups to heighten the exercise experience for participants, similar in age and fitness to astronauts, for vigorous exercise over a 6-month exercise regimen. A secondary focus is to determine the most effective features in simulated exercise partners for enhancing enjoyment, self-efficacy, and social connectedness. The aims of the project are to (1) Create software-generated (SG) exercise partners and interface software with a cycle ergometer; (2) Pilot test design features of SG partners within a video exercise game (exergame), and (3) Test whether exercising with an SG partner over 24-week time period, compared to exercising alone, leads to greater work effort, aerobic capacity, muscle strength, exercise adherence, and enhanced psychological parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Chronic exercisers, between the ages 30 and 62, were asked to exercise on a cycle ergometer 6 days per week for 24 weeks using a routine consisting of alternating between moderate-intensity continuous and high-intensity interval sessions. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: no partner (control), always faster SG partner, or SG partner who was not always faster. Participants were told they could vary cycle ergometer output to increase or decrease intensity during the sessions. Mean change in cycle ergometer power (watts) from the initial continuous and 4 min. interval sessions was the primary dependent variable reflecting work effort. Measures of physiological, strength, and psychological parameters were also taken.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper describes the rationale, development, and methods of the SPACE exergame. We believe this will be a viable intervention that can be disseminated for astronaut use and adapted for use by other populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. dfeltz@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Feltz
authors.affiliation: Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ploutz-Snyder
authors.affiliation: Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Norbert L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pivarnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ede
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samendinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jeffery
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018480:Astronauts / Q000523:psychology*; D016552:Ergometry; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D053580:Muscle Strength; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012107:Research Design; D012984:Software; D018910:Video Games
keywords: Behavioral health; Exercise; Exergames; Fitness; Köhler effect; Motivation; Relational agent; Software-generated partner; Virtual reality