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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05106439

Intern Health Study: 2020 Cohort Micro-Randomized Trial

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of gamified competition (delivered through a smartphone) for improving the physical activity and sleep of medical interns.

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Key information

Conditions

Telemedicine

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States

About this study

Due to their high-stress workloads, medical interns tend to have lower sleep and decreased physical activity. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of gamified competition (delivered through a smartphone) for improving the physical activity and sleep of medical interns. During the study, they are teamed up by programs and institutions and competes with other teams, which aim to motivate them to have more physical activity and sleep duration during their internship year.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether introducing competition mechanisms into mobile health (mHealth) interventions can improve a medical intern's activity-related behavioral outcomes: daily step counts and sleep duration. The first secondary aim is to assess the time-varying competition effect on their behavioral outcomes. The second secondary aim is to evaluate how social cooperation (competing within the same institution or program) moderates the effect of competition on behavioral outcomes. The first exploratory aim is to assess the competition effect on study engagement and the second exploratory aim is to evaluate the competition effect on mental outcome, mood score.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Medical intern during the 2020-2021 internship year
  • Downloaded app, completed consent and filled out baseline survey prior to June 16th, 2020

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Treatment and study plan

Intern Health Study competition-related mobile notification

Behavioral

Participants will receive three types of push notifications: 1. Alert of competition type (steps or sleep) and opponent (Sunday 9pm), 2. Competition score status update (Wednesday 9pm, Saturday 11am), and 3. Competition final results (Monday 12pm).

Intern Health Study mobile app

Behavioral

The Intern Health Study mobile app is able to conduct a daily mood survey. It also aggregates and visualizes historical data on intern mood, activity, and sleep.

Intern Health Study mobile app competition scoreboard and history

Behavioral

Participant can view their current competition scoreboard and competition history at any time via the study app.

Primary outcomes

  1. Average daily step count

    Time frame: 7 days

    Participants' daily step counts are recorded through a Fitbit or an apple watch. High step counts are considered a positive outcome as it indicates more physical activity.

    For teams randomized into competition arm and randomized to compete on step count, their average daily step count is compared with the average step count of the opponent team.

  2. Average daily sleep minutes

    Time frame: 7 days

    Participant's nightly sleep duration (in minutes) is recorded through a Fitbit or an apple watch. High sleep duration is considered a positive outcome.

    For teams randomized into competition arm and randomized to compete on sleep duration, their average daily sleep minutes is compared with the average sleep minutes of the opponent team.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Average daily mood score

    Time frame: 7 days

    Through the study mobile app, participants enter a mood score (scale 1-10) every day of the study. 1 corresponds to lowest mood and 10 corresponds to highest mood

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Michigan

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Nov 3, 2021
Registry last updated
Nov 3, 2021

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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