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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02638675

Financial Health Incentives to Promote Physical Activity Among Hospital Employees: A Randomized Control Trial

The objective of this randomized control trial is to examine whether incentives-for-steps (i.e. $1 per day step count goals are reached) increase daily step counts among physically inactive hospital employees.

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Key information

Conditions

Physically Inactive Hospital Employees Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2W6, Canada

About this study

A 24-week, parallel arm, randomized control trial will be employed to examine the impact of incentives on physical activity among physically inactive Hamilton Health Science Corporation employees. Participants will be randomly allocated (1:1) into control (i.e. wellness program and accelerometer) or intervention groups (i.e. wellness program, accelerometer, incentives), where only intervention participants will receive reward points for completing daily step count goals.

After randomization, a baseline 'run-in' assessment phase will occur one week prior to the study intervention (T0). During this 'run-in' period, participants will wear a Bluetooth enabled StepsCount Piezo accelerometer, which will track participants' daily steps and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and synchronize their accelerometer (i.e. upload information) to the Change4Life program for seven days. Participants will also be asked to complete the Behavioural Regulation to Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale.

Throughout the 24-week study, all participants will be asked to wear the accelerometer and synchronize it to the Change4Life program daily. Date, steps per day, and bout minutes of MVPA per day (bouts include 10 or more continuous minutes of MVPA) will be collected when the accelerometer is synchronized. Daily synchronization from the accelerometer to the Change4Life program must be completed by 10 am the next morning. Participants will be instructed to increase their daily step counts by 1,000 and 2,000 steps above baseline (T0) over the course of the first six weeks of the study. On week 7, participants will be asked to increase daily steps per day to 3,000 over baseline, and maintain that level of activity for the duration of the study.

Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (T0), intervention end point (T2), and follow up (T3).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Over the age of 18 years
  • English speaking

Exclusion criteria

  • Existing medical condition, which could be exacerbated by physical activity as measured by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.

Note. Participants cannot enrol in the study without Internet access

Treatment and study plan

Wellness Program

Behavioral

All participants have access to Change4Life, a web-based health education and behaviour change program. Individuals are rewarded with very modest incentives (uncertain chance; less than 1 in 100 chance of earning) when they complete learning modules or health tasks.

Accelerometer

Device

All participants will be asked to wear the StepsCount Piezo accelerometer, which tracks steps and bout minutes of MVPA per day, synchronize the device to the Change4Life program, and reach daily step count goals for 24 weeks.

Incentive

Behavioral

During the first 12 weeks, participants will be eligible to earn $1 in vouchers (e.g., grocery, cinema) when daily goals are reached. The total amount available over the 3-month intervention period will be $90 (9,000 points). During weeks 13 to 24, participants will not receive daily reward points for completing step count goals.

Primary outcomes

  1. Steps

    Time frame: Daily for 24 weeks

    Steps per day will be objectively assessed using the Bluetooth enabled, medical grade, StepsCount Piezo accelerometer

Secondary outcomes

  1. 10 Minute Bouts of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

    Time frame: Daily for 24 weeks

    10 minutes bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day will be objectively assessed using the Bluetooth enabled, medical grade, StepsCount Piezo accelerometer.

  2. Motivation to Exercise - Behavioural Regulation to Exercise Questionnaire; BREQ-3

    Time frame: Baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

    Participants will be asked to complete the Behavioural Regulation to Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3; Markland & Tobin, 2004; Wilson et al., 2006), a 24-item questionnaire designed to measure self-determined motivation to exercise. This questionnaire will be administered online at baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

  3. Walking Self-Efficacy - Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale; SEE Scale

    Time frame: Baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

    Participants will be asked to complete a modified version of the Self-efficacy for Exercise (SEE) Scale (Resnick & Jenkins, 2000), a 9-item questionnaire designed to measure self-reported confidence to exercise (i.e. walk). This questionnaire will be administered online at baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

  4. 10 Minute Bouts of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

    Time frame: Intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

    Participants will also be asked to complete a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF), a six-item questionnaire designed to measure moderate and vigorous physical activity, as well as time spent walking (Booth, 2000; Craig et al., 2003). This questionnaire will be administered online at intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Toronto

Other

Collaborators

  • Cookson James Loyalty Inc.
  • Green Shield Canada Inc.
  • Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation

Registry information

Official study title

Examining Financial Health Incentives to Promote Physical Activity Among Inactive Hospital Employees: A Web-based Randomized Control Trial

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Dec 23, 2015
Registry last updated
May 11, 2018

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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