Pilot randomized clinical trial targeting anxiety sensitivity: effects on physical activity

ABSTRACT

Anxiety sensitivity (AS)—the tendency to interpret anxiety as an aversive state—is associated with low rates of physical activity. Previous interventions targeting AS via exercise-based interoceptive exposure have not assessed physical activity as an outcome and are limited by brief follow-up periods. This study replicated and extended previous work by including a 6-week follow-up and assessing physical activity. Participants were 44 sedentary young adults with elevated AS randomized to intervention (six 20-minute sessions of moderate-intensity walking) or assessment-only control. Assessments of AS and physical activity were conducted at baseline and weeks 2 (post-treatment), 4, and 8. Between-group change in AS and physical activity over time was assessed using hierarchical linear modeling. The intervention condition demonstrated a marginally significant reduction in AS compared to control at week 4, which eroded by week 8. There were no significant between-group differences for change in physical activity. Findings indicate that a brief intervention might not be sufficient to produce lasting changes in AS or related exercise avoidance without additional treatment. Intervention effects were weaker than previous reports, which may be due to the greater racial/ethnic diversity of the current sample. Future research should objectively measure physical activity and explore individual variability in response.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03128437

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety sensitivity
• interoceptive exposure
• exercise avoidance
• physical activity

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Melanie Bean, PhD; Caroline Cobb, PhD; and Scott Vrana, PhD for their feedback on the development and implementation of this project. We also thank Hannah Kotarski, MS; Megan Henderson, MS; Jean Reading, MA; and Ryan Wolf, BA for their assistance with intervention delivery and data collection. Lastly, we extend our gratitude to those who enrolled in this study for their participation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding provided in part by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Blick Research Scholarship (unnumbered) awarded to Jessica Gokee LaRose, PhD., Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Blick Research Scholarship [Unnumbered].