Effects of Playing Pokemon Go on Physical Activity

NCT03757676 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HS-2017-0235
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of playing Pokémon Go to increase daily steps among young adults. The study also aimed to assess people's experience playing the game, identify specific features of the game that users like/dislike, and explore game features that may promote overall well-being.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

Physical Activity; Mobile Games

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Steps per day

  Steps per day measured via the Fitbit

  Six weeks

Study Arms (3)

No Play

EXPERIMENTAL

This 'no play' group functioned as the control group.

Behavioral: No Play

At Will Play

EXPERIMENTAL

This group functioned as 1 of the 2 play groups.

Behavioral: At Will Play

Goal Oriented Play

EXPERIMENTAL

This group functioned as 1 of the 2 play groups.

Behavioral: Goal Oriented Play

Interventions

No Play BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group were asked not to download or play Pokémon Go during the study period and were asked to simply continue with their normal daily activities. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.

No Play

At Will Play BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group were asked to download Pokémon Go and play for at least 30 minutes initially, then play as much or as little as desired during the 4 week intervention period, with no specific instruction or goals for play. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.

At Will Play

Goal Oriented Play BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group were asked to download and play Pokémon Go and achieve a minimum player level of 20 within the game during the study period. They were given materials that described game features and functions to show them how to play the game. There were no restrictions on which features to pursue within the game to achieve this goal nor on how long or how frequent their play sessions should be. Upon reaching their goal (Level 20), participants were encouraged to continue to play as much or as little as they desired. Participants were asked to wear the Fitbit device and use the GPS app on their mobile phones during the 6-week study period. Starting the fifth week, participants were prompted to complete five (5) brief daily surveys on their phones via the EMA app.

Goal Oriented Play

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at participating University
• Willingness to be randomized to one of the three study conditions
• Never played or a Novice Player of Pokemon Go (Cannot have previously exceeded Level 5)
• Not currently meeting physical activity guidelines for adults (i.e., 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and/or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity). Assessed via the GPAQ questionnaire.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Unable to leisurely walk for 30 minutes consecutively

Sponsors & Collaborators

• San Diego State University: lead
• University of Southern California: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Institute for Behavioral and Community Health

San Diego, California, 92123, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Noe C Crespo, PhD

  San Diego State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Participants were randomly assigned into one of three experimental groups: a control group and two play groups. The two play groups consisted of a group that was asked to play Pokémon Go ad libitum (at will play) and the other group was asked to achieve a specific level within the game during the study period (goal oriented play). Participants were measured for baseline physical activity levels (2 weeks) followed by randomization to one of the three groups. The intervention period lasted 4 weeks. All participants completed a brief questionnaire and were measured for height and weight, and daily physical activity levels using a FitBit accelerometer. Locations of where individual engaged in physical activity were recorded using a GPS tracking application. During the 5th week of the study period, participants completed five (5) short surveys per day using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) software to assess level of play and engagement of play.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2018
• First Posted: November 29, 2018
• Study Start: September 26, 2017
• Primary Completion: March 22, 2018
• Study Completion: March 31, 2018
• Last Updated: November 29, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-11

Locations

US (1)