Impacts of Public Announcements of Goals and Outcomes on Goal Completion (Commit to Steps)
NCT ID: NCT01811407
Last Updated: 2014-12-03
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
165 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2013-07-31
2014-04-30
Brief Summary
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Our research question is whether public announcements reduce the challenge level of commitments people set, and whether the reputational consequence of public announcements is severe enough to increase performance. The investigators propose a controlled trial that will integrate Facebook with the objective monitoring of walking via the use of pedometers to test the effect of public announcements on commitments and step counts.
All participants will wear a pedometer and upload via the internet for 14 to 15 weeks, depending on their date of randomization. The first 2 to 3 weeks the investigators will determine the participant's baseline step counts. The following 12 weeks, the investigators will recommend a daily step count target based on the median number of steps the participants walked the previous week. Each week, participants will set a commitment by stating the number of days in the following week that he/she will meet the computer-set step count target.
Commitments will be entered into an interface that will link with Facebook. Participants will select who of their Facebook friends will receive their commitments and/or results via Facebook posts. The interface will distribute those posts in a way that fits in with existing online social practices.
There will be 3 experimental conditions. 1.) No public announcements 2.) Public announcement of commitment and 3.) Public announcement of commitment and results. In addition, groups 2 and 3 will provide us with emails of 3 friends or family members who will act as the participant's support team. The investigators will send announcements directly to support team members.
The investigators plan to recruit 165 participants primarily by obtaining lists of potentially eligible University of Michigan Health System patients from the clinical data repository, and sending targeted letters to these patients. Because this research - and the physical activity programs it will inform - aims to reach a large number of people efficiently, enrollment will take place online with a click-through consent document. The investigators have extensive experience with delivering online walking programs in similar populations.
The investigators hope to learn best practices for using public announcements and online social networks to encourage people to exercise more or to otherwise promote wellness.
Detailed Description
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Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
NONE
Study Groups
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Private/private
Participants will wear a pedometer for 14-15 weeks and receive a weekly step count target each week. Participants will be required to set a forward-looking commitment each week as to how many days during the following week they will meet their step count target. Commitment and results will be private.
Walking program
Public/private
Participants will wear a pedometer for 14-15 weeks and receive a weekly step count target each week. Commitments are made as in the Private/Private condition. In addition, one Facebook announcement will be posted at the beginning of the week that says how many days the participant thinks they will meet their walking target the following week. An email will also be sent directly to 3 friends the participant chose with the same announcements.
Precommitment announcement
Walking program
Public/public
Participants will wear a pedometer for 14-15 weeks and receive a weekly step count target each week. Commitments will be made as in the Private/Private condition. In addition, one message will be posted to Facebook at the beginning of the week that says how many days the participant thinks they will meet their walking target the following week, and how they did on their previous weekly commitment. An email will also be sent directly to 3 friends the participant chose with the same announcements.
Precommitment announcement
Results announcement
Walking program
Interventions
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Precommitment announcement
Results announcement
Walking program
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* BMI ≥ 30
* Age ≥ 18
* Must be sedentary, defined by less than 150 minutes of self-reported activity per week.
* Must have access to a computer with an Internet connection that can accept USB uploads.
* Must have a Facebook account and have at least 50 friends on it.
* Must be able to communicate in English.
Exclusion Criteria
* Unable to comfortably walk at least a block without the assistance of a cane or walker.
* Not competent to sign a consent form.
* Absolute or relative contraindications to walking
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
OTHER
University of Michigan
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Paul J. Resnick
Professor
Principal Investigators
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Paul J Resnick, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Michigan
Locations
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University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Countries
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Other Identifiers
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9010
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id