The purpose of this randomized controlled pilot trial is to test the effectiveness of a six-week tailored physical activity program with and without peer mentoring on the psychological constructs and exercise behaviour of inactive undergraduate women. The objectives are to:
* Quantify the degree to which a peer-mentorship intervention affects exercise motivation determined through three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). * Examine general psychological distress and exercise engagement throughout the study. * Qualitatively explore participants' experiences following the completion of the program using an open-ended survey to gain a better understanding of its impact.
Researchers will compare the parallel arm conditions to see how the inclusion of social support impacts exercise engagement.
Participants will be asked to engage in exercise three times a week at the campus gym; those in the intervention condition will have an assigned peer-mentor who will join them for one weekly session and virtually communicate with them between sessions.
Identify as a woman
Full-time undergraduate student at Lakehead University
Classified as an exercise initiate (e.g., report one or fewer bouts of exercise per week)
Reported an absence of health risks that would interfere with exercise engagement as determined by the Get Active Questionnaire
Identify as a man
Not enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at Lakehead University
Report the presence of health risks that would interfere with exercise engagement
Meet the national physical activity guidelines (e.g., 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week)
Lakehead University
Lead sponsor
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Collaborator
St. Joseph's Care Group
Collaborator