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NCT Number: NCT05704712

Exercise Incentives for YMCA Based Exercise

The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test financial incentive programs (versus control) to promote physical activity among 330 adults who have a YMCA membership. Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to $100 or $200 (depending on the condition they are assigned to) for attending at least 50 sessions at the YMCA over 6 months. Participants will have two 6-month windows during which they will have the opportunity to earn the incentive. In addition to the incentives, participants will complete research assessments every 3 months.

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Key information

Conditions

Physical Inactivity Behavior Sedentary Behavior

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Lauren Connell Bohlen, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

401-863-6559

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • A current member, or willing to become a current member of one of the following branches of the YMCA:
  • Bayside Family YMCA (Barrington, RI)
  • Cranston YMCA (Cranston, RI)
  • East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA (Providence, RI)
  • Kent County YMCA (Warwick, RI)
  • Newman YMCA (Seekonk, MA)
  • South County YMCA (South Kingston, RI)
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Physically capable of engaging in exercise

Exclusion criteria

  • Not a current member, and unwilling to become a member of one of the above listed YMCA branches.
  • Under age 18.
  • Physically incapable of exercise
  • Doctor has recommended that you should not exercise because of a current health condition

Treatment and study plan

Monetary Incentives

Behavioral

Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Number of YMCA visits

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months

    Number of sessions (max 1 per day) a person signs into the YMCA

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Accelerometry

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Minutes of physical activity weighted by intensity, expressed in metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week as determined by accelerometers (Actigraph [model wGT3x-BT]) worn during one-week periods.

  2. Change in Self-report physical activity (Godin)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Self-reported minutes of leisure time physical activity (inside and outside the YMCA) per week weighted by intensity

Other outcomes

  1. Change in Self-Reported Habit of Physical Activity Questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's habits regarding exercise, with a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 7, higher scores indicate a stronger habit.

  2. Change in Anticipated Regret Questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's anticipated feelings of remorse if they do not do exercise, or achieve the incentives, on a scale from 1-11, with higher scores indicating more anticipated regret.

  3. Change in Opportunity Questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's opportunity to do regular aerobic physical activity, with scores ranging from 1-7, and higher scores indicating more opportunity for physical activity.

  4. Change in Capability Questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's physical and psychological capability to do regular aerobic physical activity with scores ranging from 1-7, and higher scores indicating more capability for physical activity.

  5. Change in Exercise Facility Use Questionnaire

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures access and membership to fitness facilities.

  6. Change in Physical Activity Hedonic/Reflective Motivation

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the extent to which a person's motivation for physical activity is rooted in reflective and/or hedonic processes. There are two subscales. The hedonic subscale ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating more hedonic motivation for physical activity. The reflective subscale ranges from 0-10 with higher scores indicating more reflective motivation for physical activity.

  7. Change in Subjective Social Status

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's perception of their subjective social status

  8. Change in Reward Responsiveness

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the extent to which a person is responsive to external rewards

  9. Change in Consideration of Future Consequences

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the extent to which a person considers the future (delayed) consequences of their actions

  10. Change in Delay Discounting

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the extent to which a person discounts future rewards and prioritizes immediate rewards

  11. Change in Loss Aversion

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the extent to which a person chooses actions in an attempt to avoid experiencing losses

  12. Change in Overall Health (SF-12 Survey)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures a person's perception of their overall health and quality of life, scores range from 1-5 with higher scores indicating poorer health outcomes.

  13. Change in Quality of Life and Health Status (EQ-5D-5L)

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    The EQ-5D-5L comprises a short descriptive system questionnaire and a visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) that are cognitively undemanding, taking only a few minutes to complete. The questionnaire provides a simple descriptive profile of a respondent's health state. The EQ VAS provides an alternative way to elicit an individual's rating of their own overall current health. When the descriptive system profile is linked to a 'value set', a single summary index value for health status is derived that can be used in economic evaluations of health-care interventions. A value set provides values (weights) for each health state description according to the preferences of the general population of a country/region. Value sets for the EQ-5D-5L and 3L versions are available in a large and growing number of countries.

  14. Change in Absenteeism and Presenteeism

    Time frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

    Measures the amount of time a person worked and was expected to work in the past 7-28 days; and their perceived job performance when at work

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Lauren C Bohlen, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

401-863-6559

Viveka Ayala-Heredia

CONTACT

401-206-5403

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Brown University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

Empirical Testing of a Widely Available Insurance-based Monetary Incentive Program for Exercise: A Randomized Trial

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 30, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 27, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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