Feasibility, Acceptability and the Effects of Two Publicly Available Physical Activity Mobile Apps

NCT03565627 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 11121/001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 66
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Within the new digital health care landscape, the rise of health applications (apps) creates novel prospects for behaviour change opportunities. The commercial market is saturated with apps that aim to increase physical activity (PA) with more than 49,000 PA apps available in the major app stores in 2016 \[1\]. Despite the wide distribution and popularity of PA apps, research on the efficacy of the apps is lacking. This project focuses on exploring the potential for increasing PA levels using 2 selected apps that are available on the market with participants that do not engage or perform very little PA. This study is timely because PA apps on the market are extremely popular and there is a clear need to this the potential of these potentially convenient, accessible, wide-reaching, and cost-effective technology. Before a large scale study is conducted, it is crucial to conduct assessment of the feasibility and acceptability of the study \[2\]. Feasibility determines if the study design, procedures, and the intervention can be executed by the researcher. Acceptability assesses the suitability of the study design, procedures, and the intervention from the perspective of the participants and intervention deliverers \[3\]. Hence, this mixed-methods feasibility study was designed to inform a decision about whether to proceed to a large-scale study. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a study assessing 2 selected PA apps to inform the design of a definitive RCT, and to assess the effects of the app interventions on PA

Conditions

PHYSICAL FITNESS

Keywords

mHealth; digital health; behavior change; physical activity; mobile apps

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Recruitment rates as a percentage of eligible participants that consented to partake in the study

  Determined by retention (%)

  Week 5

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Retention measured by completeness of data at 5 weeks' follow up

  Week 5

• Acceptability of the trial procedures and the interventions

  Week 5

• Change in objectively measured PA from baseline to follow-up

  Week 3 and 5

• The difference in PA change between the 2 apps

  Week 3 and 5

• Change in self-reported PA

  Week 3 and 5

Study Arms (2)

Exercise app

EXPERIMENTAL

7 Minute Workout Challenge by Fitness Guide Inc.

Device: Exercise app: 7 Minute Workout Challenge

Running App

EXPERIMENTAL

One You Couch to 5K by Public Health England

Device: Running app: One You Couch to 5K

Interventions

Exercise app: 7 Minute Workout Challenge DEVICE

7 Minute Workout Challenge by Fitness Guide Inc. combines aerobic and resistance training into short, 7 minute high intensity circuit training.

Exercise app

Running app: One You Couch to 5K DEVICE

One You Couch to 5K by Public Health England is a popular app that aims to increase fitness by asking the user to follow a running programme with a goal to run for 30 min without break.

Running App

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• adults (≥18 years' old) identified as "moderately inactive" or "inactive" using General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire
• as the use of accelerometer requires some maintenance from the researcher, it was necessary to include only users that reside in/around London for practical reasons
• willingness to try the apps assessed in the study (walking and workout app)
• those owning a smartphone, iPhone (operating iOS 6.0 or newer and ) or Android (version 2.3.3 and up

You may not qualify if:

• do not speak English
• previous use of the apps of interest
• medical conditions that require special attention when conducting physical activity
• current participation in another research study that targets behaviour change

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University College, London: lead
• Medical Research Council: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

eHealth Unit, Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London

London, NW3 2QG, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (3)

• research2guidance. mHealth app developer economics. The state of the art of mHealth application publishing: research2guidance 2014 [updated 5 May 2016]. Available from: http://research2guidance.com/product/mhealth-app-developer-economics-2014/.

  BACKGROUND

• Craig P, Dieppe P, Macintyre S, Michie S, Nazareth I, Petticrew M; Medical Research Council Guidance. Developing and evaluating complex interventions: the new Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ. 2008 Sep 29;337:a1655. doi: 10.1136/bmj.a1655.

  PMID: 18824488 BACKGROUND

• Feeley N, Cossette S, Cote J, Heon M, Stremler R, Martorella G, Purden M. The importance of piloting an RCT intervention. Can J Nurs Res. 2009 Jun;41(2):85-99.

  PMID: 19650515 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Fiona Hamilton, MD, PhD

  University College, London

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Elizabeth Murray, MD, PhD

  University College, London

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will complete a baseline assessment (1 week), followed by the randomisation to using 1 of the 2 apps (3 weeks' follow up), and crossover (5 weeks' follow up).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2018
• First Posted: June 21, 2018
• Study Start: January 5, 2018
• Primary Completion: July 18, 2018
• Study Completion: July 28, 2018
• Last Updated: April 17, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-04

Locations

GB (1)