Evaluating the Impact of the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal on Physical Mobility Outcomes

Evaluating the Impact of the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal on Knowledge, Behavioural Intentions and Health Behaviours Related to Physical Mobility

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (the Portal) was launched in 2014 to increase public access to trustworthy health information. The Portal helps readers to access evidence-based resources; identify trustworthy messages; and understand scientific findings. Now the investigators want to know whether using the Portal changes what people know and do to stay healthy and mobile. This project will help us to: Understand how middle aged and older adults (age 40+) use the Portal to obtain information about maintaining and improving mobility Evaluate whether use of the Portal results in a change in knowledge about maintaining and improving mobility, or change in lifestyle behaviours that may help maintain or improve mobility with age.

Physically active lifestyles are important for health aging, but most Canadians do not meet published physical activity guidelines. This may be in part due to lack of access to evidence-based information on mobility and aging, and knowledge of strategies to maintain or improve mobility with age. The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal (the Portal) was launched in 2014 to increase public access to trustworthy health information. Now the investigators want to know if easy-to-understand evidence-based messages change what people know and do to stay healthy and mobile. Sequential, explanatory mixed-methods design consisting of a two-armed randomized controlled trial and a qualitative process study to explore quantitative findings in depth. Consent forms and a baseline survey will be sent to all interested participants. Following baseline data collection, participants will be stratified by previous Portal use, and randomized to the Knowledge Translation (KT) intervention or control group. During the 12-week KT intervention, intervention group participants will have access to the Portal and will receive mobility- focused weekly email alerts including blog posts and evidence summaries relevant to mobility and be invited to follow a Twitter and Facebook feed; a unique hashtag will be created to identify and collate relevant mobility information. Control group participants will be able to access the Portal in a 'self-serve' fashion, but will not receive targeted KT strategies.

During the 12-week KT intervention, intervention group participants will have access to the Portal and will receive mobility-focused weekly email alerts including blog posts and evidence summaries relevant to mobility and be invited to follow a Twitter and Facebook feed; a unique hashtag will be created to identify and collate relevant mobility information.

Participants in the control group will have access to the Portal in a 'self-serve' fashion. These participants will be able to browse the Portal, subscribe to email alerts, follow social media, etc. but will not receive the tailored mobility intervention.

Tailored knowledge translation strategies specific to maintaining and increasing physical mobility with age.

Participants intentions to engage in lifestyle behaviours related to maintaining or improving mobility

Neil-Sztramko S, Smith-Turchyn J, Richardson J, Dobbins M. Impact of a Knowledge Translation Intervention on Physical Activity and Mobility in Older Adults (the Move4Age Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Feb 11;22(2):e15125. doi: 10.2196/15125.

Neil-Sztramko SE, Smith-Turchyn J, Richardson J, Dobbins M. A Mobility-Focused Knowledge Translation Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Physical Activity: Process Evaluation of the Move4Age Study. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Jun 20;21(6):e13965. doi: 10.2196/13965.