Using Social Connectedness to Increase Physical Activity

NCT04573972 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: STUDY2019_00000296
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 172
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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.

Conditions

Activity, Motor; Social Isolation

Keywords

incentives

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Intervention Period (Weeks 2 and 3)

  Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline (week 1) to intervention period (weeks 2 and 3), as recorded on the FitBit app

  week 2-3

• Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)

  Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline to follow-up period, as recorded on the FitBit app

  week 4-5

• Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)

  Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the intervention period (weeks 2 \& 3) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)

  week 2-3

• Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)

  Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the follow-up period (weeks 4 \& 5) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)

  week 4-5

• Change in Score on University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Survey Measure)

  20-item scale measuring subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Minimum score = 0; maximum score = 60; higher scores indicate more loneliness. We computed the difference in score from baseline (beginning of week 1) to end of study (end of week 5).

  week 5

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3)

  week 2-3

• Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)

  week 4-5

• Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)

  week 2-3

• Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)

  week 4-5

Study Arms (2)

Regular incentive

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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.

Behavioral: Standard Incentive

Social Incentive

EXPERIMENTAL

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.

Behavioral: Social Incentive

Interventions

Social Incentive BEHAVIORAL

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

Social Incentive

Standard Incentive BEHAVIORAL

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

Regular incentive

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• Contraindications for increased physical activity

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Carnegie Mellon University: lead
• University of Virginia: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Social Isolation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Social Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Gretchen Chapman, PhD
• Organization: Carnegie Mellon University

gchapman@andrew.cmu.edu

4122687380

Study Officials

• GRETCHEN B CHAPMAN, PhD

  Carnegie Mellon University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The primary outcome is steps walked, as assessed via the Fitbit app, which is blind to study condition.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Two group, between-subjects design

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2020
• First Posted: October 5, 2020
• Study Start: September 30, 2020
• Primary Completion: November 25, 2020
• Study Completion: January 4, 2021
• Last Updated: March 28, 2024
• Results First Posted: November 22, 2021

Record last verified: 2023-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)