Testing Strategies for Increasing Exercise

NCT ID: NCT01139541

Last Updated: 2015-08-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 224 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2010-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2011-01-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to learn more about effective ways to motivate people to increase their non-exercise energy expenditure exercise. This is an important research question because obesity and weight-related issues are increasingly becoming a problem in America. This project will address this research question by testing the effect of group dynamics in motivating employees who are predominantly sedentary to use Walkstations at work. The Walkstations are treadmills that move at a very slow rate (maximum 2miles / hour) and are attached to a work station (i.e. with computer and telephone); they therefore are designed to increase energy spent not through heavy exercise, but through small changes in posture and movement associated with routines in daily life (called nonexercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT). The proposed study is designed to build upon previous research (Levine et al., 2005) suggesting the role of NEAT-enhanced behaviors in weight loss.

In this study, the investigators are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the propensity to use the Walkstations. Participants in the active arms will be asked to use the Walkstations for at least 3 hours per week. They will do so by signing up for a time slot. During their session, they will be asked to log into the scheduling system to indicate that they are using the Walkstation. Walkstation usage will be assessed by log-in data: employees will log-in to the phone and computer when they use the Walkstation. This log-in data is work-station specific; therefore the investigators will be able to tell when a given subject used the Walkstation.

Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions:

1. Individual. In the individual condition, participants will not be part of a team. They will receive weekly email feedback on their Walkstation performance (e.g. number of time slots they signed up for, and number of times they showed up for the time slot.) Participants will also receive a wellness tip in each email. (see appendix for a sample email)

2. Pairs. In the pair condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a partner. They will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for both themselves AND their partner.

3. Group. In the group condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a group of 5 people. They will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for both themselves AND each member of their group.

Conditions

Sedentary Lifestyle; Obesity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Control

Participants in the control condition will be asked to refrain from using the WalkStations during the study period.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Individual

In the individual condition, participants will not be part of a team. They will receive weekly email feedback on their Walkstation performance (e.g. number of time slots they signed up for, and number of times they showed up for the time slot.)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Social walking intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In this intervention, we are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the propensity to use the Walkstations. The intervention consists of 4 levels: control, individual, pair, and group.

Pairs

In the pair condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a partner. They will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for both themselves AND their partner.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Social walking intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In this intervention, we are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the propensity to use the Walkstations. The intervention consists of 4 levels: control, individual, pair, and group.

Groups

In the group condition, participants will be randomly assigned to a group of 5 people. They will receive the same feedback as those in the individual condition, for both themselves AND each member of their group.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Social walking intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In this intervention, we are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the propensity to use the Walkstations. The intervention consists of 4 levels: control, individual, pair, and group.

Interventions

Social walking intervention

In this intervention, we are interested in the impact of group dynamics on the propensity to use the Walkstations. The intervention consists of 4 levels: control, individual, pair, and group.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Must pass the ParQ
• Must be employee of BCBS Massachusetts

Exclusion Criteria

• Failing the ParQ
• Not being an employee of BCBS Massachusetts

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 70 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Blue Cross Blue Shield

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Harvard University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Michael Norton

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

WalkStation1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id