NCT04902014

Brief Summary

During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity (PA) engagement levels declined worldwide. Despite the overwhelming adoption of wearable fitness tracker (WFT) devices, it continues to be unclear as to their effect on PA engagement or PA motivation. Building on past research, we hypothesized that combining a WFT with a known impactful intervention, motivational interviewing (MI) would positively influence both self-determination theory (SDT) motivation and PA during an unprecedented global emergency. A four-group randomized controlled study was conducted amongst 40 inactive adults over a 12-week period during the COVID-19 pandemic. One group (WFT, n = 10) received a wearable fitness tracker, a second (MI, n=10) received bi-weekly MI sessions, a third (WFT+, n=10) received both, and a fourth (Education, n=10) received basic PA education. Outcome measures for motivation and PA were measured though an online survey before and after the 12-week period.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
40

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable healthy

Timeline
Completed

Started Apr 2020

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 13, 2020

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 21, 2020

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 21, 2020

Completed
8 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 9, 2021

Completed
17 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 26, 2021

Completed
2.2 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

July 27, 2023

Completed
Last Updated

July 27, 2023

Status Verified

September 1, 2022

Enrollment Period

5 months

First QC Date

May 9, 2021

Results QC Date

August 16, 2021

Last Update Submit

September 9, 2022

Conditions

Keywords

mHealthphysical activitymotivationself-determination theory

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Change in Motivation From Baseline at 12 Weeks.

    Changes in motivation for physical activity as described by the self-determination theory was assessed using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire, v3 (BREQ-3) and the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNS). The BREQ-3 uses four survey items per motivational subtype (Amotivation, External, Introjected, Identified, and Integrated Regulation, and Intrinsic Motivation). The BPNS uses three of four items per psychological need (Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness) The raw scores per subtype or need are averaged for one subtype and need score per participant. The scale ranges from 0 (does not apply to me) to 4 (applies to me very much). Therefore, subtype or need score closer to ) indicate low levels of that subtype whereas scores closer to 4 indicate higher levels of that subtype or need.

    Baseline and at 12 weeks.

  • Change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity From Baseline at 12 Weeks.

    Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) was assessed using five days (4 weekdays and 1 weekend day) of actigraphy (ActiGraph).

    Baseline and at 12 weeks

  • Change in Steps Per Day From Baseline at 12 Weeks.

    Steps per day was assessed using five days (4 weekdays and 1 weekend day) of actigraphy (ActiGraph).

    Baseline and at 12 weeks

Study Arms (4)

Education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Behavioral: Education

Motivational Interviewing

EXPERIMENTAL
Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing

Wearable Fitness Tracker

EXPERIMENTAL
Behavioral: Wearable Fitness Trackers

Wearable Fitness Tracker+

EXPERIMENTAL
Behavioral: Wearable Fitness Tracker+

Interventions

The individuals will be scheduled for and participate in six biweekly in person SDT based MI sessions. These sessions will take place in the HPCRL at CSU. The MI sessions will be conducted by a PhD student who has been trained by a MI practitioner. Participants will be provided a log book and will be asked to log their PA, with the goal of completing at least 150 minutes of PA per week. They will set biweekly PA goals, which will be discussed in the MI sessions. These participants will also receive general physical activity guidelines education and information on strategies to reach the recommended amount of activity per week during the initial baseline assessment meeting.

Motivational Interviewing
EducationBEHAVIORAL

These participants will receive general physical activity guidelines education and information on strategies to reach the recommended amount of activity per week during the initial baseline assessment meeting. These participants will not do any other study related activities. At the conclusion of the study, these participants will be offered the chance to participate in one MI session.

Education

Individuals assigned to this experimental condition will be given a wrist-worn WFT and will be instructed to wear it for the duration of the study. They will also download the corresponding mobile application on their smartphones. They will be trained by a member of our team on how to utilize the WFT and mobile application. The intended WFT tracks daily steps, miles traveled, kcals expended, and daily activity time. This device provides these data to the wearer via a small screen. Participants will be instructed to aim to complete at least 150 minutes of PA per week. Researchers will have the capability to track participant daily PA via the WFT and associated API. These individuals will be asked to set biweekly PA goals. These participants will also receive general physical activity guidelines education and information on strategies to reach the recommended amount of activity per week during the initial baseline assessment meeting.

Wearable Fitness Tracker

These individuals will be given the wrist-worn WFT, be instructed to wear it for the duration of the study AND be scheduled for six SDT based MI sessions. These participants will also be trained by a member of our team on how to utilize the WFT and associated application. They will be instructed to aim to complete 150 minutes of PA per week. These participants will be asked to set biweekly PA goals which will be discussed in MI sessions. Researchers will have the capability to track participant daily PA via the WFT and associated API. These participants will also receive general physical activity guidelines education and information on strategies to reach the recommended amount of activity per week during the initial baseline assessment meeting.

Wearable Fitness Tracker+

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Females or males, aged 18 or older,
  • does not currently engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA per week,
  • owns an Android, or iPhone smartphone device,
  • is willing to download a mobile app to be used on the smartphone device, 5) is willing to wear a small, wrist worn fitness tracker for the duration of the study, and 6) is be willing to attend 6 biweekly MI sessions over 12 weeks.

You may not qualify if:

  • a history of myocardial infarction, angina, coronary artery bypass surgery, congestive heart failure, or diabetes,
  • limiting conditions such as concurrent cancer treatment, peripheral artery disease, orthopedic injury, or pain limiting arthritis,
  • seeking to participate in other structured PA programs during the duration of the study,
  • pregnant at the initiation of the study or plans to become pregnant during the study, and
  • alcohol or other substance abuse within the previous 12 months.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory

Fort Collins, Colorado, 80521, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Interventions

Motivational InterviewingEducational Status

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Directive CounselingCounselingMental Health ServicesBehavioral Disciplines and ActivitiesHealth ServicesHealth Care Facilities Workforce and ServicesSocioeconomic FactorsPopulation Characteristics

Limitations and Caveats

Conducted the study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homogenous sample. Did not assess wear time or compliance with wear directives in WFT and WFT+ groups. RAI does not allow for an investigation into the more nuanced and multidimensional aspects of SDT motivation as it pertains to PA.

Results Point of Contact

Title
Dr. Kayla Nuss
Organization
Colorado State University

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
Yes

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 9, 2021

First Posted

May 26, 2021

Study Start

April 13, 2020

Primary Completion

September 21, 2020

Study Completion

September 21, 2020

Last Updated

July 27, 2023

Results First Posted

July 27, 2023

Record last verified: 2022-09

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations