Project Active

Project Active is an intervention to increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory health among sedentary adults. The program uses a lifestyle physical activity intervention that teaches participants to incorporate more physical activity into their daily schedules. Participants meet weekly for six months in small groups where they learn behavioral strategies and participate in group physical activities such as walking, volleyball, and orienteering. Participants also receive a quarterly newsletter, monthly calendar of activities, and are encouraged to monitor their physical activities. Participants receive individualized suggestions on how to incorporate physical activity into their schedule, and are assessed on stages of change each month.

The goal of Project Achieve is to increase physical activity and cardiorespiratory health among sedentary adults.

A randomized clinical trial compared the Project Active lifestyle physical activity intervention with a traditional structured exercise intervention. Both groups significantly increased their physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness at 6 months (p < 0.001 from baseline), with a majority of participants in both groups meeting or exceeding the CDC/ACSM recommendation of 30 or more minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week (78% of lifestyle intervention, 85% or exercise intervention). The lifestyle intervention cost on average $17.15 per participant per month, while the exercise intervention cost $49.31 per participant per month. Both groups had similar significant improvements for ratio of total cholesterol level to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and percentage body fat. There was no significant between-group differences for these clinical measures, or for behavioral measures, indicating that the lifestyle intervention is a cost effective intervention to improve cardiorespiratory health.