Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40034793›Full record

ArticlemedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2025

A technology-based randomized controlled trial of self-affirmation and gain-framed health messaging to reduce sedentary behavior in older adults.

Meishan Ai, Nagashree Thovinakere, Caitlin S Walker, Cora Ordway, Elizabeth Quinoñez, Emily Melsky, Frank D'Agostino, Calvin Tobias, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, Siobhan M Phillips and 5 more

Abstract readPreprint
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Meishan AiDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Nagashree ThovinakereThe Neuro, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Caitlin S WalkerThe Neuro, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Cora OrdwayDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Elizabeth QuinoñezDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Emily MelskyDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Frank D'AgostinoHarvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Calvin TobiasDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Susan Whitfield-GabrieliDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Siobhan M PhillipsDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Dominika M PindusBeckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Charles HilmanDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Timothy P MorrisCenter for Cognitive & Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Arthur F KramerDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
Maiya R GeddesDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

Harvard Clinical and Translational Science CenterUL1TR001102 · NCATS · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI NADLER, LEE MARSHALL · 2013 to 2017
$106.2M
Core B - Pilot StudiesP30AG048785 · NIA · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · PI LACHMAN, MARGIE E · 2014 to 2023
$4.5M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001102NIA NIH HHS P30 AG048785
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Sedentary behavior significantly increases the risk for chronic diseases and cognitive decline in aging, underscoring the need for effective interventions. Older adults exhibit a 'positivity effect', whereby processing of positive information is prioritized over negative information. In addition, self-affirmation was shown to reduce sedentary behavior in younger adults, but its effects in older adults remain unknown. This study tested a novel, technology-based intervention combining daily self-affirmation and gain-framed health messages to reduce sedentary behavior in older adults. Methods: In a 6-week randomized controlled trial (NCT0431536), 48 cognitively unimpaired, sedentary older adults were randomized into two groups: The intervention group (mean age=70.0±5.4years) completed daily self-affirmation based on their highest-ranked value, followed by gain-framed health messages. The active control group (mean age=68.4±5.0years) performed self-affirmation on their lowest-ranked value, followed by loss-framed messages. This was a single-blinded clinical trial that incorporated a hybrid efficacy and implementation design. Thus, information about intervention feasibility was examined. In addition, baseline motivational traits, including reward sensitivity, were assessed as moderators of behavior change. The neural basis of self-affirmation and gain-framed health messaging was examined at baseline using a task-based, event-related fMRI paradigm across groups, after randomization at the outset of the intervention. Results: The intervention showed high adherence (0.92±0.08) and positive ease-of-use ratings. While the intervention did not significantly reduce sedentary behavior compared to the active control condition, increased reward sensitivity predicted reduced sedentary behavior across all participants. FMRI results showed increased ventral striatal activation in the intervention group, compared to the active control group during reading of gain-framed compared to neutral messages. Conclusions: This study supports the feasibility of technology-based sedentary beahvior reduction interventions for older adults. While self-affirmation combined with gain-framed messaging did not significantly reduce sedentary behavior, gain-framed messages engaged the reward network, and reward sensitivity predicted future reduction in sedentary behavior.

Identifiers

PMID40034793
PMCPMC11875261

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.