Incentivizing Physical Activity Using Gamification, A Pilot Study

NCT02850614 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 16-080
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 105
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Juniors and seniors will be recruited to participate in the study, which will begin in the fall 2016 and run through May. The intervention will be a randomized-controlled trial, where students are randomized to either a control or incentive condition. Physical activity will be automatically tracked throughout the study period using FitBit activity trackers wirelessly linked to the gaming application on students' Chromebooks or mobile phones. Students who achieve 30 minutes of MVPA during the school day and/or 60 minutes of MVPA over the entire day will receive in-game rewards moving them up leaderboards in the game, providing them with more game points, or allowing them access to more game elements. Baseline outcome measures will be collected at the beginning of the school year in the fall, and post-intervention outcome measures will be collected in May.

Conditions

Obesity; Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Physical Activity - Steps

  The primary measurement tool for physical activity will be the use of FitBits to quantify the number of minutes students are moving each day, and the number of steps they are taking. Even the most basic FitBits capture steps, distance, minutes people are active each day, and intensity of activity. They are then able to wirelessly sync with the study database and gaming application (intervention condition) or tracking application (control condition), so accounting for activity will be automatic. FitBits have been validated as an acceptable measurement tool for measuring physical activity in free-living individuals.48 It is anticipated that most physical activity students engage in would be traceable with the FitBit. Physical activity in both the control and intervention conditions will be continuously tracked throughout the baseline, intervention, and post-intervention periods.

  12 weeks

• Physical Activity - Minutes of Moderate or Vigorous Physical Activity

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Height

  Baseline and at 12 weeks

• Student Engagement

  Baseline and at 12 weeks

• Weight

  Baseline and at 12 weeks

• BMI

  Baseline and at 12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Fifty participants in the control condition will each receive a FitBit to track their physical activity. Instead of interfacing with a gaming app on their Chromebooks to track physical activity, control condition participants will interface with a minimalist activity tracker showing them only how many minutes of MVPA they've done over the course of the day. It is expected that after several weeks of baseline use, control condition participants will no longer find the FitBit novel. In order to encourage control condition participants to wear their FitBits at school daily, they will receive one entry into a weekly lottery for each day they wear the FitBit that week.

Device: FitBit

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Fifty participants will be randomized to the intervention condition, which will use a gaming application to encourage physical activity, as physical activity goal achievement will translate into rewards in the game. Physical activity will be tracked using a FitBit activity monitor and in order to encourage intervention condition participants to wear their FitBits at school daily, they will receive one entry into a weekly lottery for each day they wear the FitBit that week.

Behavioral: gaming application to encourage physical activity; Device: FitBit

Interventions

gaming application to encourage physical activity BEHAVIORAL

Intervention

FitBit DEVICE

Control; Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• years of age Junior or Senior at Target High School BMI \>=18.5

You may not qualify if:

• Current participation in a formal weight-loss program Physical activity limitations

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vermont: lead
• GameTheory: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont, 05405, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor and DPD Director

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 26, 2016
• First Posted: August 1, 2016
• Study Start: September 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2017
• Study Completion: May 1, 2018
• Last Updated: October 11, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)