Using Social Connectedness to Increase Physical Activity

Social Isolation Clinical Trial

Official title:

Using Social Connectedness to Increase Physical Activity

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04573972
• Other study ID #: STUDY2019_00000296
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 30, 2020
• Est. completion date: January 4, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: October 2023
• Source: Carnegie Mellon University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

A randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior among college students (N=200). Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. Research participants will download activity tracking apps (Fitbit app and AWARE app) that provide activity and location data. Participants will be consented and then randomized to one of two incentive schemes for walking. Over a 2-week intervention period, the standard incentive group will earn $2 per day when they meet their walking goal regardless of whether they walk alone or with others. The social incentive group will earn $1 per day when they reach their walking goal plus an additional $1 when they walk at least 2000 steps with their walking partner. The incentive scheme will be in place for 2-weeks, preceded by a 1-week baseline period and followed by a 2-week follow-up period.

Description:

The objective of the study is to test whether social incentives that encourage physical activity with another person are more effective than incentives for individual exercise. Physical inactivity and social isolation are growing epidemics linked to increased morbidity and mortality particularly among aging Americans. This research aims to address both problems by encouraging co-productive physical activities among college students. Co-productive physical activity mean anything involving physical activity that two people can do together, e.g., walking their dogs or shopping together. Additionally, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, walking together in this study means either walking while communicating digitally or over the phone, or by physically walking together while wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart, and following the recommendations from health professionals. A small randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior. Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. The results will indicate whether social incentives are more motivating than traditional incentives for walking behavior.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 172
• Est. completion date: January 4, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: November 25, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18+
• Able to read and understand English-language surveys
• Own either iPhone or Android smartphones
• Willing to carry the smart phone during the study period and to respond to daily texts or emails from the study team
• Registered for the study as a dyad (friend pairs), with one member of the dyad a Carnegie Mellon University student

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindications for increased physical activity

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Activity, Motor
• Social Isolation

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Social Incentive
Receiving half the monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and half the monetary incentive conditional on walking together
• Standard Incentive
Receiving the full monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and not conditional on walking together

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Carnegie Mellon University	University of Virginia

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Intervention Period (Weeks 2 and 3)	Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline (week 1) to intervention period (weeks 2 and 3), as recorded on the FitBit app	week 2-3
Primary	Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)	Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline to follow-up period, as recorded on the FitBit app	week 4-5
Primary	Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)	Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the intervention period (weeks 2 & 3) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)	week 2-3
Primary	Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)	Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the follow-up period (weeks 4 & 5) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)	week 4-5
Primary	Change in Score on University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Survey Measure)	20-item scale measuring subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Minimum score = 0; maximum score = 60; higher scores indicate more loneliness. We computed the difference in score from baseline (beginning of week 1) to end of study (end of week 5).	week 5
Secondary	Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3)	Fraction of days with self report of walking at least 2,000 steps with another participant during intervention period (weeks 2-3)	week 2-3
Secondary	Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)	Fraction of days with self report of walking at least 2,000 steps with another participant during follow-up period (weeks 3-5)	week 4-5
Secondary	Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)	A machine learning (ML) algorithm will compare the walking records from the Aware app of each dyad of participants and assess whether they walked together on each day	week 2-3
Secondary	Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)	A machine learning (ML) algorithm will compare the walking records from the Aware app of each dyad of participants and assess whether they walked together on each day	week 4-5