Small Monetary Incentives to Promote Exercise (Exercise4Good; EX4G)

Obesity Clinical Trial

Official title:

Using Behavioral Economics to Promote Exercise Among Overweight Inactive Adults

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03134040
• Other study ID #: CA188473-02
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 2016
• Est. completion date: June 1, 2018

Study information

• Verified date: September 2018
• Source: Brown University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study is for physically inactive adults with an active membership at a Greater Providence Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

Participants will receive weekly feedback on their attendance at the YMCA, and will be enrolled in the study for 1 year.

Participants will be assigned to one of three conditions, to either receive weekly: (i) monetary incentives, (ii) donations to a charity of their choice, or (iii) feedback only.

In order to continue to receive incentives, participants must maintain an active membership at the YMCA.

Description:

The investigators propose to conduct a pilot study to test feasibility and proof-of-concept for two incentive programs to promote exercise among low-active overweight and obese adults. To address weaknesses in the literature, the programs will be (a) conducted in a community setting by the Greater Providence YMCAs and (b) financially sustainable, such that they do not require removal of the incentives after a specified period of time. In both incentive programs, participants will pay the standard monthly YMCA membership fee. In the Rebate incentive program, participants will have the opportunity to earn a small monetary incentive to exercise for each day that they attend the YMCA (verified by objective swipe-card data), with a maximum of 5 exercise sessions being incentivized per week. In the Donation incentive program, participants will have the opportunity to earn a small monetary incentive to exercise in the form of donations (using the same incentive schedule) to a registered local charity of the participant's choice. Thus, the proposed study will compare three experimental conditions: (a) Rebate incentives (n=25); (b) Donation incentives (n=25); and (c) Control (i.e., no incentives) (n=25). The Primary Aims are to test (1) feasibility of the two incentive programs, (2) feasibility of the research methods to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the two incentive programs, and (3) proof-of-concept for the two incentive programs (relative to control), through comparison of average number of sessions/week with incentives over one year. Secondary outcomes will be self-reported minutes per week of exercise over one year. The proposed research will provide a preliminary investigation into two community-based, financially sustainable incentive programs to promote exercise for adults who are at increased risk for cancer. Positive findings from such a trial would provide a fast-track for a community-based ready-to-implement exercise promotion intervention. Additionally, such findings would have significant implications for the use of financially sustainable incentive programs for exercise through other community organizations (e.g., privately-owned health clubs), healthcare organizations, or employers (e.g., employer fitness facilities), as well as providing a model for incentive programs for other health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking cessation, weight loss).

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 82
• Est. completion date: June 1, 2018
• Est. primary completion date: June 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 99 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inactive adults with an active YMCA membership

• Currently physically able to exercise

Exclusion Criteria:

• Do not plan to reside in the geographical region for the next 12 months

• Family member currently participating in the study

• Currently engaging in >150 mins of moderate/vigorous physical activity per week

• Attended the YMCA more than 4 times per month in the last 6 months

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Obesity
• Physical Activity

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Incentives (Rebate)

• Incentives (Donation)

• Feedback

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Public Health Building @ 121 South Main St	Providence	Rhode Island

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Brown University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Exercise attendance	How frequently the participant attended the YMCA during the study	1 year