Using Social Connectedness to Increase Physical Activity

NCT ID: NCT04573972

Last Updated: 2024-03-28

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 172 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-09-30
• Study Completion Date: 2021-01-04

Brief Summary

A randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior among college students (N=200). Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. Research participants will download activity tracking apps (Fitbit app and AWARE app) that provide activity and location data. Participants will be consented and then randomized to one of two incentive schemes for walking. Over a 2-week intervention period, the standard incentive group will earn $2 per day when they meet their walking goal regardless of whether they walk alone or with others. The social incentive group will earn $1 per day when they reach their walking goal plus an additional $1 when they walk at least 2000 steps with their walking partner. The incentive scheme will be in place for 2-weeks, preceded by a 1-week baseline period and followed by a 2-week follow-up period.

Detailed Description

The objective of the study is to test whether social incentives that encourage physical activity with another person are more effective than incentives for individual exercise. Physical inactivity and social isolation are growing epidemics linked to increased morbidity and mortality particularly among aging Americans. This research aims to address both problems by encouraging co-productive physical activities among college students. Co-productive physical activity mean anything involving physical activity that two people can do together, e.g., walking their dogs or shopping together. Additionally, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, walking together in this study means either walking while communicating digitally or over the phone, or by physically walking together while wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart, and following the recommendations from health professionals. A small randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior. Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. The results will indicate whether social incentives are more motivating than traditional incentives for walking behavior.

Conditions

Activity, Motor; Social Isolation

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Regular incentive

During the two-week intervention period, the standard incentive group will earn $2 per day when they meet their step goal, and this reward is earned regardless of whether they walk alone or with others.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard Incentive

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Receiving the full monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and not conditional on walking together

Social Incentive

During the two-week intervention period, he social incentive group will earn $1 per day when they meet their step goal and an additional $1 if they walk 2,000 steps together with another study participant.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Social Incentive

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Receiving half the monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and half the monetary incentive conditional on walking together

Interventions

Social Incentive

Receiving half the monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and half the monetary incentive conditional on walking together

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Standard Incentive

Receiving the full monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and not conditional on walking together

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18+
• Able to read and understand English-language surveys
• Own either iPhone or Android smartphones
• Willing to carry the smart phone during the study period and to respond to daily texts or emails from the study team
• Registered for the study as a dyad (friend pairs), with one member of the dyad a Carnegie Mellon University student

Exclusion Criteria

• Contraindications for increased physical activity

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

Sponsors

University of Virginia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Carnegie Mellon University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Gretchen Chapman

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

GRETCHEN B CHAPMAN, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Carnegie Mellon University

Locations

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

STUDY2019_00000296

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id