Reframing Retirement: An Examination of Identity Change and Self-Regulation Approaches to Promote Physical Activity

BACKGROUND: According to the 2021 census, there are 9.7 million people aged 60 or over in Canada, a surge of 8% since the 2016 census. Further, with life expectancy increasing, the prevalence of chronic diseases and conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cognitive decline, frailty, and dementia that are associated with an ageing population are placing increasing pressures on healthcare systems. There is compelling evidence that engaging in regular PA, of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic PA throughout the week complemented with muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week, can prevent the onset and progress of age-related chronic diseases and positively influence physical and mental health outcomes. Despite these well-documented benefits, 80% of Canadian adults are not meeting the recommended PA guidelines, with levels of PA decreasing steadily with age. Thus, implementing interventions that effectively increase PA to optimize the physical and mental health outcomes is a public health priority. To date, interventions promoting PA have shown mixed results, so there is a need to better understand, and test innovative behavior change techniques. Further, PA interventions have not focused on specific aging subgroups (e.g., 60-70 years, \>80 years), making it difficult to design and implement effective interventions and make suitable recommendations for policy and practice. One of those important groups that has not received enough evidence-based research (only two small studies), are those transitioning into retirement (i.e., 60-70 years). Transitioning into retirement is established as a seminal period where significant altercations in lifestyle (e.g., reframing of identity, lack of routine) present an opportunity to promote PA.

TARGET POPULATION: Participants will be:

1. aged between 60 -70 years, living in Victoria, British-Columbia, Canada. 2. recently retired (within 1.5 years) from occupational work 3. have an internet connection with a computer or smartphone 4. able to engage in MVPA independently, 5. participate in MVPA below Canadian recommended aerobic guidelines (\<150 minutes of MVPA per week, screened by Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire.

The researcher will also screen participants on baseline accelerometry results (as a secondary assurance).

Those participants above the Canadian recommended guidelines will be excluded from the trial.

SAMPLE SIZE : 159 participants, 53 participants per group

Participants will then be randomized into one of the three conditions (post accelerometer screening):

* 1\) The ID condition will be comprised of a 6-week, 10 module format, covering all reflective, regulatory, and reflexive processes. * 2 The SR condition will have access to modules 1 through 6 (reflective and regulatory processes) * 3 The ED condition will have access to modules 1 to 3 (reflective processes).

* Additional modules (4 in SR, 7 in ED) will be included in the SR and ED conditions to ensure equivalence of dose across conditions. * These additional modules will focus on general retirement considerations such as travel, socializing, and financial planning with the same style and formatting as the PA modules. * All groups will receive support/booster check-ins on the same material as their intervention designation at 3-,6-, and 12 weeks and 6-months. * After the initial 6-week intervention period, participants will be given follow-up online questionnaires and accelerometers. * This will follow a similar protocol for the 3-, 6- and 12-month time period (6-month assessment will include fitness testing). * In addition, all participants will be asked to participate in an end-of-trial semi-structured interview (at 6-months).

• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 1 - Body Mass Index (BMI) [Time frame: At Baseline & 6 Months]
• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 2 - Waist Circumference [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months]
• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 3 - Cardiovascular Fitness [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months]
• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 4 - Upper-Body Strength [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months]
• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 5 - Lower-Body Strength [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months]
• Secondary Outcome Health-Related Fitness Measure 6 - Flexibility [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months]
• Secondary Outcome Measure: Reflective Processes [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months]
• Secondary Outcome Measure: Regulatory Processes [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months]
• Secondary Outcome Measure: Reflexive Processes - Habit Automaticity (Self-Report Habit Index - Automaticity Subscale) [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months]
• Secondary Outcome Measure: Reflexive Processes - Identity [Time frame: Time Frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months]
• Social Identity & Prior Identity [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of data collection (Baseline, 6 Weeks, 3 Months & 6 Months & 12 months )]
• Well-being outcomes [Time frame: From enrollment to the end of data collection (Baseline, 6 Weeks, 3 Months & 6 Months & 12 months)]