A Group-Based Walking Study Using WeChat to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults

Sedentary Behavior Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Group-Based Walking Study Using WeChat to Enhance Physical Activity Among Older Adults: The Role of Social Engagement

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03803085
• Other study ID #: 18131
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 30, 2018
• Est. completion date: July 2, 2019

Study information

• Verified date: October 2020
• Source: Brandeis University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim for the study is to use the function WeRun in the application WeChat to encourage physical activity and social engagement among community dwelling older adults and their family members and friends. The specific aims are to test the effectiveness of a social contact and comparison intervention for increasing regular daily physical activity among community dwelling older adults, and to examine the potential effectiveness of WeChat in cultivating social engagement and well-being among community dwelling older adults.

Description:

The aim for the study is to use the function WeRun in the application WeChat to encourage physical activity and social engagement among community dwelling older adults. The investigators asked participants in the social engagement group to use the WeRun function in WeChat to track their daily walking steps and to compare their performance with their group members for 4 weeks. To encourage social engagement among their group members, the daily walking steps were calculated and the participant who has the highest step count in the group will be indicated each day.Those in the control group will only use the WeRun function in WeChat to track their own walking steps.

The investigators expected that the participants in the social contact group will walk more often and report more social activities than those in the control group, who will not compete with their peers in daily walking. To test these predictions, daily walking steps and the total walking steps per week were obtained and compared across groups. The nature and the extent of change was analyzed over the four weeks. Exercise self-efficacy was measured using a measure based on Bandura's model. Social engagement was measured using the short Lubben Social Network Scale, a self report measure of social engagement on a 12-item scale, and physical activity was measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), a self-report measure of physical activity on a 12-item scale.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: July 2, 2019
• Est. primary completion date: June 1, 2019
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 60 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants who are 60 or older who have a cellphone, with either android or iPhone system with data plan.

• They must be fit enough to walk for at least 20 minutes at a time.

• English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to walk more than 20 minutes;

• do not have smart phone with data plan.

• younger than 60

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Inactivity
• Sedentary Behavior

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Control condition
Participants in the control group only saw their own daily walking steps using the WeChat. They did not use WeChat to see other group members' daily steps and did not contact other group members. The participants were asked to use the app every day. A message (through WeChat) was sent to remind them to use the application if they had not done so within three days.
• Treatment condition
Participants in the experimental condition used WeChat for 4 weeks to see their own and other's walking steps and also were able to contact other group members. The participants were asked to use the application every day. A message (through the group chat) was sent to remind them to use the application if they have not done so within three days.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Brandeis University	Waltham	Massachusetts

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Brandeis University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Number of Steps Walked	Weekly average number of steps recorded with WeRun on the phone [ (averaged across 7 days at Baseline week and averaged across 7 days at Week 4 (Posttest) and averaged across 7 days at Week 8 (one month follow up)].	[Time Frame: Baseline (pretest) Week, Week 4 (posttest) and Week 8 (one month follow up)]
Secondary	Social Engagement	Short Lubben Social Network Scale-Revised, a self-report measure of social engagement on a 12-item scale. The total score is calculated by the sum of all the items. The total score ranges between 0 and 60, with a higher score indicating more social engagement.	Pretest given 1 week before the intervention and then at the posttest after the 4 week study and one month follow up
Secondary	Exercise Self Efficacy	This scale is a self-report of exercise self-efficacy. Total score is calculated by summing the responses to each question. This scale has a range of total scores from 0-90. A higher score indicates higher self-efficacy for exercise.	Pretest given 1 week before the intervention and then at the posttest after the 4 week study and one month follow up