Tweet4Wellness: An Online Virtual Support Group for Promoting Increased Physical Activity

NCT02958189 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 32127
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a Twitter-based intervention with a private, online support group can significantly increase number of walking steps compared to self-monitoring of physical activity alone or a control group in sedentary women at a women's heart clinic.

Conditions

Physical Activity; Social Media

Keywords

Twitter; social support; internet intervention; sedentary lifestyle; walking; behavior change

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in steps (physical activity)

  Steps measured by triaxial accelerometer

  Baseline to 3 months and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Support Group Engagement during the intervention

  3 months

• average length of prolonged sedentary periods per day

  baseline to 3 months and 6 months

Study Arms (2)

Group 1: Tweet4Wellness+Self-monitoring

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive the Tweet4Wellness intervention: daily theory-based peer-to-peer discussion prompt within the private Twitter-based support group for the entire 6 months of the study. They will also receive the Fitbit triaxial pedometer that will track their daily steps (self-monitoring component).

Behavioral: Tweet4Wellness; Behavioral: Self-monitoring

Group 2: Self-monitoring

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group will receive the Fitbit triaxial pedometer that will track their daily steps (self-monitoring component) for the first 3 months. For the second three months of the study, they will receive the Tweet4Wellness intervention in addition to their Fitbit self-monitoring.

Behavioral: Self-monitoring

Interventions

Tweet4Wellness BEHAVIORAL

A daily, behavior change theory-based intervention message is sent to a private, 25-person online Twitter-support group to prompt peer-to-peer discussion. Participants receive individual text messages to encourage group participation (e.g. 'thank you for participating' or 'please participate tomorrow'). Participants also receive weekly individual messages giving them daily step goals for the week based on their previous week's daily step average, recorded from Fitbit.

Group 1: Tweet4Wellness+Self-monitoring

Self-monitoring BEHAVIORAL

A Fitbit is provided to the group which tracks participants' daily steps.

Group 1: Tweet4Wellness+Self-monitoring; Group 2: Self-monitoring

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Are a woman
• Are over 18 years of age
• Are English speaking
• Have or are willing to purchase a mobile phone with a camera
• Have or are willing to purchase an unlimited text plan
• Are willing to participate in daily tweets or texts for up to 3 months
• Have an active email account
• Have internet access on your mobile phone
• Use or are familiar with Facebook, Twitter, or other social media
• Text at least weekly

You may not qualify if:

• Have certain symptoms or conditions that would not be conducive to increasing your physical activity as determined by your physician
• Are planning on becoming pregnant in the next 8 months
• If our screening survey indicates that you are already adequately physically active
• Do not provide all required personal contact information

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stanford University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Stanford University School of Medicine

Stanford, California, 94305-7240, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Oppezzo M, Tremmel J, Desai M, Baiocchi M, Ramo D, Cullen M, Prochaska JJ. Twitter-Based Social Support Added to Fitbit Self-Monitoring for Decreasing Sedentary Behavior: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial With Female Patients From a Women's Heart Clinic. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Dec 4;9(12):e20926. doi: 10.2196/20926.

  PMID: 33275104 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Sedentary Behavior

Interventions

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Blood Chemical Analysis; Clinical Chemistry Tests; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine; Monitoring, Physiologic; Self-Testing; Self Care; Therapeutics; Investigative Techniques

Study Officials

• Judith Prochaska, PhD

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Medicine

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2016
• First Posted: November 8, 2016
• Study Start: June 20, 2019
• Primary Completion: December 15, 2019
• Study Completion: December 20, 2019
• Last Updated: April 10, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-04

Locations

US (1)