Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.

<h4>Aim</h4>Intervention fidelity refers to the degree to which an experimental manipulation has been implemented as intended, but simple, robust methods for quantifying fidelity have not been well documented. Therefore, we aim to illustrate a rigorous quantitative evaluation of interven...

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Main Authors: Kathryn L Taylor, Matthew Weston, Alan M Batterham
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125166
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author Kathryn L Taylor
Matthew Weston
Matthew Weston
Alan M Batterham
author_facet Kathryn L Taylor
Matthew Weston
Matthew Weston
Alan M Batterham
author_sort Kathryn L Taylor
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Aim</h4>Intervention fidelity refers to the degree to which an experimental manipulation has been implemented as intended, but simple, robust methods for quantifying fidelity have not been well documented. Therefore, we aim to illustrate a rigorous quantitative evaluation of intervention fidelity, using data collected during a high-intensity interval training intervention.<h4>Design</h4>Single-group measurement study.<h4>Methods</h4>Seventeen adolescents (mean age ± standard deviation [SD] 14.0 ± 0.3 years) attended a 10-week high-intensity interval training intervention, comprising two exercise sessions per week. Sessions consisted of 4-7 45-s maximal effort repetitions, interspersed with 90-s rest. We collected heart rate data at 5-s intervals and recorded the peak heart rate for each repetition. The high-intensity exercise criterion was ≥ 90% of individual maximal heart rate. For each participant, we calculated the proportion of total exercise repetitions exceeding this threshold. A linear mixed model was applied to properly separate the variability in peak heart rate between- and within-subjects. Results are presented both as intention to treat (including missed sessions) and per protocol (only participants with 100% attendance; n=8).<h4>Results</h4>For intention to treat, the median (interquartile range) proportion of repetitions meeting the high-intensity criterion was 58% (42% to 68%). The mean peak heart rate was 85% of maximal, with a between-subject SD of 7.8 (95% confidence interval 5.4 to 11.3) percentage points and a within-subject SD of 15.1 (14.6 to 15.6) percentage points. For the per protocol analysis, the median proportion of high-intensity repetitions was 68% (47% to 86%). The mean peak heart rate was 91% of maximal, with between- and within-subject SDs of 3.1 (-1.3 to 4.6) and 3.4 (3.2 to 3.6) percentage points, respectively.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Synthesising information on exercise session attendance and compliance (exercise intensity) quantifies the intervention dose and informs evaluations of treatment fidelity.
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spelling doaj-art-dfa2a8f040c44930b9102b95bf6b29402025-08-20T02:34:10ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01104e012516610.1371/journal.pone.0125166Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.Kathryn L TaylorMatthew WestonMatthew WestonAlan M Batterham<h4>Aim</h4>Intervention fidelity refers to the degree to which an experimental manipulation has been implemented as intended, but simple, robust methods for quantifying fidelity have not been well documented. Therefore, we aim to illustrate a rigorous quantitative evaluation of intervention fidelity, using data collected during a high-intensity interval training intervention.<h4>Design</h4>Single-group measurement study.<h4>Methods</h4>Seventeen adolescents (mean age ± standard deviation [SD] 14.0 ± 0.3 years) attended a 10-week high-intensity interval training intervention, comprising two exercise sessions per week. Sessions consisted of 4-7 45-s maximal effort repetitions, interspersed with 90-s rest. We collected heart rate data at 5-s intervals and recorded the peak heart rate for each repetition. The high-intensity exercise criterion was ≥ 90% of individual maximal heart rate. For each participant, we calculated the proportion of total exercise repetitions exceeding this threshold. A linear mixed model was applied to properly separate the variability in peak heart rate between- and within-subjects. Results are presented both as intention to treat (including missed sessions) and per protocol (only participants with 100% attendance; n=8).<h4>Results</h4>For intention to treat, the median (interquartile range) proportion of repetitions meeting the high-intensity criterion was 58% (42% to 68%). The mean peak heart rate was 85% of maximal, with a between-subject SD of 7.8 (95% confidence interval 5.4 to 11.3) percentage points and a within-subject SD of 15.1 (14.6 to 15.6) percentage points. For the per protocol analysis, the median proportion of high-intensity repetitions was 68% (47% to 86%). The mean peak heart rate was 91% of maximal, with between- and within-subject SDs of 3.1 (-1.3 to 4.6) and 3.4 (3.2 to 3.6) percentage points, respectively.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Synthesising information on exercise session attendance and compliance (exercise intensity) quantifies the intervention dose and informs evaluations of treatment fidelity.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125166
spellingShingle Kathryn L Taylor
Matthew Weston
Matthew Weston
Alan M Batterham
Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
PLoS ONE
title Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
title_full Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
title_fullStr Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
title_short Evaluating intervention fidelity: an example from a high-intensity interval training study.
title_sort evaluating intervention fidelity an example from a high intensity interval training study
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125166
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