Physical Activity Promotion in Children Using a Novel Smartphone Game: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Physical Activity Clinical Trial

Official title:

Physical Activity Promotion in Children Using a Novel Smartphone Game: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04593199
• Other study ID #: UVic181243
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 28, 2019
• Est. completion date: April 15, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: October 2021
• Source: University of Victoria
• Contact: Sam Liu, PhD
• Phone: 2507218392
• Email: samliu[@]uvic.ca
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Increasing physical activity is critical for children's overall health. Smartphone apps using gamification has shown promise to increasing physical activity using game techniques. This study is a 4-week randomized controlled trial using a gamified smartphone app to determine acceptability and preliminary effectiveness to increase physical activity in children.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 160
• Est. completion date: April 15, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: March 1, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 8 Years to 14 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 8-14 years old

• Not meeting the recommended Canadian physical activity guidelines of 60min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

• English-literate

• Normal to corrected vision

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis or injury that prevents physical activity participation

• No access to a smartphone or tablet

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Physical Activity

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Gamified Smartphone App
The primary objective was to determine the acceptability and satisfaction of the Draco app among children. Secondary objective was to evaluate if the Draco app could improve physical activity levels (steps, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and intrinsic motivation for physical activity in children. The gamified smartphone app, Draco, is a virtual pet simulator where you care for a pet by exercising, walking, and answering healthy lifestyle questions.
• Physical activity tracking app
Participants were asked to use the Fitbit app to track and sync their daily physical activity.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	University of Victoria	Victoria	British Columbia

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Victoria

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	User satisfaction with gamified smartphone app	User satisfaction was measured using an adapted version of the short form Intrinsic Motivation Inventory used by Ahn, Johnsen & Ball, 2019. Items pertained to the enjoyment, satisfaction of using the app and if the experience was unenjoyable. Scores are rated on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest. 1 = Not true for me; 2 = Not really true for me; 3 = Sometimes true for me; 4 = Often true for me; 5 = Very true for me.	4 weeks
Primary	Acceptability with gamified smartphone app	Exit interviews were performed after the intervention period to determine satisfaction and acceptability. Questions related to their experience using the app, their physical activity behavior (before, during, and after the intervention period) and recommendations for app content	4 weeks
Secondary	Steps	Steps were collected using a Fitbit over the intervention period. Fitbit is a previously validated and reliable instrument to measure physical activity (Feehan et al., 2018).	4 weeks
Secondary	Physical activity minutes	Minutes of physical activity engaged in by the participants were collected using a Fitbit device worn by participants. The device is worn while the participant is engaging in physical activity. The intensity of exercise is calculated by heartrate. Fitbit is a previously validated and reliable instrument to measure physical activity (Feehan et al., 2018).	4 weeks
Secondary	Motivation for physical activity	Motivation for physical activity was measured using an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory used by Ahn, Johnsen & Ball, 2019. Questions related to perceived competence to physical activity, perceived autonomy to physical activity and perceived relatedness to the app. The items addressed perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and relatedness. Scores are rated on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest. 1 = Not true for me; 2 = Not really true for me; 3 = Sometimes true for me; 4 = Often true for me; 5 = Very true for me.	4 weeks