Impact of Loss Aversion Messaging and Anticipated Regret for Inaction on Exercise Adherence in Older Adults

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if messages focused on not losing the functional benefits of exercise can help older adults with walking difficulty continue to exercise regularly. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do these messages make people more likely to anticipate regretting it if they do not exercise? Does more anticipated regret make it more likely they will exercise more regularly? Researchers will compare two versions of messages to see if the content of these one of these message types is more effective than the other. Participants will complete a daily 5-minute at home exercise program for 4 months and complete regular online surveys to track their progress and report their feelings regarding regret.

The goal of the proposed clinical trial is to identify strategies to blunt the effects of post-intervention decay in older adults with difficulty walking. While early improvements from exercise are large, they typically plateau and then decline post-intervention. This early improvement, however, creates an opportunity. Similar to daily interactions common with private companies, the investigators seek to increase the rate of conversion - that is, completing the task - while considering the improvements from engaging in exercise to be accumulated benefits. Drawing from behavioral economics, then, the investigators propose that the conversion rate to act (i.e., increase the likelihood of completing daily exercises) may be increased by using loss aversion (i.e., loss of accumulated benefits) in the form of messaging. In this study the investigators will conduct a randomized trial among individuals (N=128) age 65 and over who have serious difficulty walking and have completed an at-home, brief strength training intervention, comparing 4 months of standard adherence reminders to standard adherence reminders supplemented with periodic loss aversion messages. The proposed trial aims to answer the questions: (1) Does the supplementation of loss aversion messaging increase anticipated regret for inaction among older adults previously enrolled in an at-home exercise program? (2) Does higher anticipated regret predict greater intention to exercise and exercise adherence post-intervention?

Inclusion Criteria: * Completed 12 months of FAST intervention Exclusion Criteria: * No planned surgeries within the upcoming 4 months