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Physical ActivityNCT03566277

Project Step: Evaluating Deposit Contracts and Daily Feedback to Promote Walking in Overweight and Obese Adults

A study testing Self-monitoring, Incentives and Feedback in people with Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle, run by Drexel University.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to test whether deposit contracts, wherein individuals invest their own money with the study to serve as the incentive, with or without daily feedback about progress help individuals to increase step counts and more often meet a step goal compared to self-monitoring only. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Physical Activity, Sedentary Lifestyle, Obesity
What is being tested?
Self-monitoring, Incentives and Feedback
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
24 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
1 Dec 2016to 8 Aug 2017
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 70 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI ≤ 45 kg/m2
  • Age 18-70
  • Currently inactive (engages in less than 6,000 steps/day on at least 4 of 7 days per week, confirmed by FitBit at baseline)
  • Able to engage in moderate amount of walking
  • Able to receive email/text messages from study staff

Who cannot join

  • medical or psychiatric conditions that would make it difficult to comply with study protocols

About this study

The purpose of this study is to test whether deposit contracts, wherein individuals invest their own money with the study to serve as the incentive, with or without daily feedback about progress help individuals to increase step counts and more often meet a step goal compared to self-monitoring only.

Read the detailed description

Approximately 68% of adults are overweight or obese, which is associated with increased risk for health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These individuals are more often sedentary than the general population, which compounds the risk for these same conditions. While the benefits of engaging in physical activity are well-established, few individuals are able to successfully increase activity to recommended levels. Existing intervention programs, often derived from theories such as social cognitive theory or related theories, have had limited success. Behavioral economics offers a promising alternative, suggesting that engagement in any behavior is based on the maximizing utility and happiness. Interventions based on this theory aim to increase the immediate benefit of engaging in physical activity, often using a financial incentive.

This study will last for 16 weeks. Each participant will invest $42 with the study, and be exposed to to each of three interventions. All participants will have the use of a FitBit for ongoing self-monitoring and a step-count goal of 10,000 steps per day. In one condition, these will be the only interventions you receive. In one condition, you will receive a monetary consequence for meeting or not meeting the goal. Each day during the incentive conditions, you will be eligible to lose $0.75 of your own money for not meeting the goal, or to earn back $0.75 of your money plus $0.75 from the study (i.e., a total of $1.50) for meeting the goal. In the third condition, you will have daily feedback mid-afternoon about your distance from the goal and the money you stand to gain or lose. You will be made aware of what condition you are in.

Being tested
Self-monitoring, Incentives, Feedback
Medical subject headings
Motor Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Obesity, Overweight

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Self-monitoringBehavioural

    Participants will have access to a wrist-worn activity monitor and have a daily step goal

  • IncentivesBehavioural

    Participants will have a deposit contract, wherein they will lose money if a goal is not reached, or double their money if a goal is reached

  • FeedbackBehavioural

    Participants will receive text message feedback each day about progress towards their goal

Study groups in NCT03566277
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Single-arm trialExperimentalAll participants will undergo each of three conditions during the study.
Receives: Behavioral: Self-monitoring; Behavioral: Incentives; Behavioral: Feedback

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Step counts

    Daily number of steps taken

    Measured: Throughout 16-week study, measured as the average of each two-week block (i.e., each time condition changes)

  2. Goal attainment

    Proportion of days step goal was met

    Measured: Throughout 16-week study, measured as the average of each two-week block (i.e., each time condition changes)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jun 2018
  2. Study start1 Dec 2016
  3. Primary completion1 Aug 2017
  4. Study completion8 Aug 2017

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
24 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03566277
Sponsor's protocol ID
1601004185-1
Status last verified
Jun 2018
First submitted
12 Jun 2018
Last updated
25 Jun 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Kerrigan SG, Forman EM, Patel M, Williams D, Zhang F, Crosby RD, Butryn ML. Evaluating the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effects of Deposit Contracts With and Without Daily Feedback to Promote Physical Activity. J Phys Act Health. 2020 Jan 1;17(1):29-36. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2018-0589.

    PubMed 31698334

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Self-monitoring, Incentives and Feedback in people with Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle, run by Drexel University.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Jun 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Step counts (time frame: Throughout 16-week study, measured as the average of each two-week block (i.e., each time condition changes)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03566277, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Jun 2018.

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