Effects of a Digital Micro-Movement Nudge Intervention on Well-Being and Academic Outcomes in College Students

NCT07452107 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB-26-037-A031(226)
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled study is to learn whether a 21-day physical resilience (movement-based) program can improve mental well-being, emotional regulation, and academic functioning in university students. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does participation in a 21-day physical resilience program improve students' well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, affect, life satisfaction, and perceived health)? Does the program improve students' academic and self-regulatory outcomes (e.g., engagement, burnout, procrastination, productivity, emotion regulation, coping, and self-control capacity)? Researchers will compare students who complete the physical resilience program immediately to students in a waitlist control group to see whether participation in the program leads to greater improvements in well-being and academic-related outcomes. Participants will: Sign up online and provide informed consent Be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a waitlist control group Receive daily micro-movement tasks and reminders via Telegram for 21 days (intervention group) Complete online questionnaire surveys at baseline, post-intervention, and a 2-week follow-up

Conditions

Health Behaviour Change

Keywords

Physical Resilience; Micro-Movement; 21-Day; Intervention; Digital; Nudge

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• State anxiety

  State anxiety will be assessed using the 6-item Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI-6 (Marteau \& Bekker, 1992). Six items (e.g., "I was worried these past 2 weeks.") rated from 1 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much so) will be averaged for a composite score. Higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety.

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

• Procrastination

  Procrastination will be assessed using six items from the Irrational Procrastination Scale (Steel, 2002), such as "At the end of these past 2 weeks, I know I could have spent the time this week better." Participants will respond on a 1-5 scale (1 = Very seldom or not true of me, 5 = Very often true, or true with me), and higher average scores indicate higher levels of procrastination.

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Productivity

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

• Study Burnout

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

• Study Engagement

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

• Implementation intention

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

• Goal Progress

  Enrollment to the end of intervention at 3 weeks and the end of follow-up at 5 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Physical resilience

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Physical resilience BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is a 21-day, digitally delivered physical resilience program consisting of daily, brief, movement-based activities designed to support mental well-being and academic functioning in university students. The program includes low-intensity physical movement, breathing exercises, and body-based regulation practices that can be completed independently without specialized equipment or prior physical training. Participants assigned to the intervention group receive one structured movement task per day for 21 consecutive days. Tasks are delivered via a Telegram channel, accompanied by brief digital reminders to prompt engagement. Each task is designed to be short in duration, flexible in timing, and feasible within daily routines, emphasizing consistency rather than physical exertion or performance. The intervention is self-guided and asynchronous, with no in-person contact, live sessions, or direct supervision.

Also known as: Digital Micro-Movement Nudge Intervention

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Student of Singapore Management University
• Uses Telegram

You may not qualify if:

• Below 18 Years Old

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Singapore Management University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Singapore Management University, Online

Singapore, Singapore

RECRUITING

Central Study Contacts

Tracy X Chen

CONTACT

+6591691725; Tracychen.2023@phdps.smu.edu.sg

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Tracy Chen Xi, PhD Candidate, Principal Investigator, Singapore Management University

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 19, 2026
• First Posted: March 5, 2026
• Study Start: February 6, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 18, 2026
• Study Completion: March 18, 2026
• Last Updated: March 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SG (1)