Type 2 DiabetesNCT04874415
Behavioral Economics for Activity Motivation in Adolescents (BEAM)
A study testing 1RLD, 1RLW and 1RGD in people with Type 2 Diabetes and PreDiabetes, run by University of Pittsburgh at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
There is an urgent need to engineer targeted physical activity interventions that are effective and scalable for obese adolescents and young adults (AYA) with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who often have very low levels of physical activity. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 13 to 22 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Type 2 Diabetes, PreDiabetes, Insulin Resistance
- What is being tested?
- 1RLD, 1RLW and 1RGD
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 75 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 16 Nov 2021to 4 Oct 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 13 to 22 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- 1) Males or females age 13 to 22 years.
- 2) Overweight or obese (BMI ≥85th percentile for age/sex, or ≥25 kg/m2 for participants ≥18 years)
- 3) Diagnosis with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes
- 4) Consent (subjects 18 and older), Parental/guardian permission (subjects 13-17), assent (subjects 13-17)
- 5) Willingness to wear Fitbit during waking hours daily for duration of run-in and intervention.
- 6) Possession of a smartphone.
Who cannot join
- 1) Potential subject unable to speak or read in English
- 2) Severe cognitive impairment
- 3) Permanent or temporary physical disability that impairs ambulation or precludes engagement in MVPA
- 4) Current pregnancy
- 5) Previously-diagnosed or current restrictive or purging eating disorder
- 6) Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) >30 minutes per day or Fitbit wear < 4 days during second week of 2-week run-in period
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224
About this study
Official title: Behavioral Economics for Activity Motivation in Adolescents and Young Adults With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
There is an urgent need to engineer targeted physical activity interventions that are effective and scalable for obese adolescents and young adults (AYA) with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who often have very low levels of physical activity. The BEAM Trial is a mobile health (mHealth) intervention that uses behavioral economic-informed financial incentives and text messaging to promote physical activity in AYA with T2D and prediabetes.
Read the detailed description
Some secondary outcome measures from the protocol were inadvertently left out when creating the registration and have been added with the results.
- Being tested
- 1RLD, 1RLW, 1RGD, 1RGW, 2RLD
- Medical subject headings
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Prediabetic State, Insulin Resistance, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
1RLDBehavioural
1RLD=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period
1RLWBehavioural
1RLW=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period.
1RGDBehavioural
1RGD=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period.
1RGWBehavioural
One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period.
2RLDBehavioural
Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period.
2RLWBehavioural
Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period.
2RGDBehavioural
Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period.
2RGWBehavioural
Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period.
1FLDBehavioural
One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily weekly goal time period.
1FLWBehavioural
One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period.
1FGDBehavioural
One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period.
1FGWBehavioural
One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period.
2FLDBehavioural
Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period.
2FLWBehavioural
Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period.
2FGDBehavioural
Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period.
2FGWBehavioural
Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Condition 1 | Experimental | 1RLD=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1RLD |
| Condition 2 | Experimental | 1RLW=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1RLW |
| Condition 3 | Experimental | 1RGD=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1RGD |
| Condition 4 | Experimental | 1RGW=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1RGW |
| Condition 5 | Experimental | 2RLD=Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2RLD |
| Condition 6 | Experimental | 2RLW=Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2RLW |
| Condition 7 | Experimental | 2RGD=Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2RGD |
| Condition 8 | Experimental | 2RGW=Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2RGW |
| Condition 9 | Experimental | 1FLD=One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1FLD |
| Condition 10 | Experimental | 1FLW=One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1FLW |
| Condition 11 | Experimental | 1FGD=One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1FGD |
| Condition 12 | Experimental | 1FGW=One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 1FGW |
| Condition 13 | Experimental | 2FLD=Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2FLD |
| Condition 14 | Experimental | 2FLW=Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2FLW |
| Condition 15 | Experimental | 2FGD=Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2FGD |
| Condition 16 | Experimental | 2FGW=Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. Receives: Behavioral: 2FGW |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)
Effects of time spent in MVPA was measured by assessing the change in weekly mean minutes in MVPA per day from baseline
Measured: 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes (9)
Change in Daily Step Count
Daily step count will be measured by assessing the change in daily mean steps from baseline
Measured: 12 weeks
Change in BMI Z-score
Z-score calculated using "zanthro" package in Stata, according to U.S. CDC growth charts. The BMI Z-score indicates the number of standard deviations away from the mean. A Z-score of 0 is equal to the mean of a reference population (i.e., healthy, age and sex-matched adolescents and young adults). Negative numbers indicate values lower than the reference population and positive numbers indicate values higher than the reference population. A Z-score of 0 represents the population mean. BMI Z-scores greater than 1.645 are consistent with pediatric obesity.
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Plasma Glucose
mg/dL; obtained fasting
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Insulin
uIU/mL; obtained fasting
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Hemoglobin A1c
Percent (%)
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Triglycerides
mg/dL; obtained fasting
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
mg/dL; obtained fasting
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in High-density Lipoprotein (HDL)
mg/dL; obtained fasting
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in ALT
U/L
Measured: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 May 2021
- Study start16 Nov 2021
- Primary completion4 Oct 2024
- Study completion4 Oct 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Type 2 DiabetesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PittsburghThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 75 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pittsburgh
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mary Ellen Vajravelu, MD, University of Pittsburgh
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04874415
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY21040122
- Other IDs
- K23DK125719-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 30 Apr 2021
- Last updated
- 28 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Behavioral Economics for Activity Motivation in Adolescents and Young Adults With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04874415
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY21040122
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 75 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PittsburghUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Study start
- 16 Nov 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 4 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 4 Oct 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 5 May 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 9 Oct 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
There is an urgent need to engineer targeted physical activity interventions that are effective and scalable for obese adolescents and young adults (AYA) with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who often have very low levels of physical activity. The BEAM Trial is a mobile health (mHealth) intervention that uses behavioral economic-informed financial incentives and text messaging to promote physical activity in AYA with T2D and prediabetes.
Detailed description
Some secondary outcome measures from the protocol were inadvertently left out when creating the registration and have been added with the results.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 16
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Condition 1 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1RLD1RLD=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1RLW1RLW=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 3 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1RGD1RGD=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 4 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1RGW1RGW=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 5 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2RLD2RLD=Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 6 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2RLW2RLW=Two texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 7 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2RGD2RGD=Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 8 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2RGW2RGW=Two texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 9 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1FLD1FLD=One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 10 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1FLW1FLW=One text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 11 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1FGD1FGD=One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 12 | Experimental | Behavioral: 1FGW1FGW=One text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 13 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2FLD2FLD=Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 14 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2FLW2FLW=Two texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. |
| Condition 15 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2FGD2FGD=Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. |
| Condition 16 | Experimental | Behavioral: 2FGW2FGW=Two texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 13 to 22 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 1) Males or females age 13 to 22 years.
- 2) Overweight or obese (BMI ≥85th percentile for age/sex, or ≥25 kg/m2 for participants ≥18 years)
- 3) Diagnosis with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes
- 4) Consent (subjects 18 and older), Parental/guardian permission (subjects 13-17), assent (subjects 13-17)
- 5) Willingness to wear Fitbit during waking hours daily for duration of run-in and intervention.
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 1) Potential subject unable to speak or read in English
- 2) Severe cognitive impairment
- 3) Permanent or temporary physical disability that impairs ambulation or precludes engagement in MVPA
- 4) Current pregnancy
- 5) Previously-diagnosed or current restrictive or purging eating disorder
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| 1RLD1RLD=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period | Behavioural | Condition 1 |
| 1RLW1RLW=One text per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 2 |
| 1RGD1RGD=One text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 3 |
| 1RGWOne text per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 4 |
| 2RLDTwo texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 5 |
| 2RLWTwo texts per day, ramped goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 6 |
| 2RGDTwo texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 7 |
| 2RGWTwo texts per day, ramped goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 8 |
| 1FLDOne text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 9 |
| 1FLWOne text per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 10 |
| 1FGDOne text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 11 |
| 1FGWOne text per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 12 |
| 2FLDTwo texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 13 |
| 2FLWTwo texts per day, fixed goal, loss incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 14 |
| 2FGDTwo texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, daily goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 15 |
| 2FGWTwo texts per day, fixed goal, gain incentive, weekly goal time period. | Behavioural | Condition 16 |
Primary outcome
Change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)
Time frame: 12 weeks
Effects of time spent in MVPA was measured by assessing the change in weekly mean minutes in MVPA per day from baseline
9 secondary outcomes
Change in Daily Step Count
Time frame: 12 weeks
Change in BMI Z-score
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Plasma Glucose
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Insulin
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Hemoglobin A1c
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Triglycerides
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in High-density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Change in ALT
Time frame: From baseline to follow-up in-person study visits, separated by 3 months
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Oct 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing 1RLD, 1RLW and 1RGD in people with Type 2 Diabetes and PreDiabetes, run by University of Pittsburgh at 1 site in United States.
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 6 inclusion and 6 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 28 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 9 Oct 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) (time frame: 12 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 28 Oct 2025.