A multicomponent behavior change intervention to promote walking in adults after traumatic brain injury: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial

A 12-week multicomponent walking intervention in community-dwelling adults with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury increased weekly walk frequency (aIRR=1.12) versus attention-matched usual care.

• Why it matters: Sedentary behavior is common after TBI, and cognitive/behavioral barriers make effective community-based physical activity interventions scarce. This pilot tests feasibility and compliance while generating effect estimates for walking outcomes.
• What they did: Fifty-six adults aged 40–80 with mild-to-moderate TBI (3 months to 15 years post-diagnosis) were randomized to planning, reminders, and micro-incentives or weekly health education calls for 12 weeks. Feasibility used recruitment/retention/adverse events; compliance used activity-tracker wear time and weekly completed phone calls.
• The result: Forty-eight completed the study (retention 84.2%) with high phone call compliance (98.4% vs 98.1%) and zero serious adverse events. Compared with control, the intervention increased weekly walk counts (aIRR=1.12), walking duration (b=8.00 mins/week), and steps (b=514 steps/week), supporting a larger fully powered trial.

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