Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04573972

Using Social Connectedness to Increase Physical Activity

A randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior among college students (N=200). Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. Research participants will download activity tracking apps (Fitbit app and AWARE app) that provide activity and location data. Participants will be consented and then randomized to one of two incentive schemes for walking. Over a 2-week intervention period, the standard incentive group will earn $2 per day when they meet their walking goal regardless of whether they walk alone or with others. The social incentive group will earn $1 per day when they reach their walking goal plus an additional $1 when they walk at least 2000 steps with their walking partner. The incentive scheme will be in place for 2-weeks, preceded by a 1-week baseline period and followed by a 2-week follow-up period.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Activity, Motor Behavior Motor Activity Social Behavior Social Isolation

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

About this study

The objective of the study is to test whether social incentives that encourage physical activity with another person are more effective than incentives for individual exercise. Physical inactivity and social isolation are growing epidemics linked to increased morbidity and mortality particularly among aging Americans. This research aims to address both problems by encouraging co-productive physical activities among college students. Co-productive physical activity mean anything involving physical activity that two people can do together, e.g., walking their dogs or shopping together. Additionally, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, walking together in this study means either walking while communicating digitally or over the phone, or by physically walking together while wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart, and following the recommendations from health professionals. A small randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of social incentives relative to traditional incentives in promoting walking behavior. Participants who are rewarded for walking together will be compared to those who are rewarded for walking even when alone. The results will indicate whether social incentives are more motivating than traditional incentives for walking behavior.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 18+
  • Able to read and understand English-language surveys
  • Own either iPhone or Android smartphones
  • Willing to carry the smart phone during the study period and to respond to daily texts or emails from the study team
  • Registered for the study as a dyad (friend pairs), with one member of the dyad a Carnegie Mellon University student

Exclusion criteria

  • Contraindications for increased physical activity

Treatment and study plan

Social Incentive

Behavioral

Receiving half the monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and half the monetary incentive conditional on walking together

Standard Incentive

Behavioral

Receiving the full monetary incentive conditional on meeting a step goal and not conditional on walking together

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Intervention Period (Weeks 2 and 3)

    Time frame: week 2-3

    Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline (week 1) to intervention period (weeks 2 and 3), as recorded on the FitBit app

  2. Change in Mean Daily Steps Walked From Baseline Period (Week 1) to Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)

    Time frame: week 4-5

    Change in mean daily steps walked from baseline to follow-up period, as recorded on the FitBit app

  3. Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)

    Time frame: week 2-3

    Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the intervention period (weeks 2 & 3) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)

  4. Mean Number of Days Met Daily Step Goal During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5) Minus Mean Number of Days Met Same Level of Walking in Baseline Period (Week 1)

    Time frame: week 4-5

    Mean number of days when an individual's number of steps walked was at or above daily goal during the follow-up period (weeks 4 & 5) minus the mean number of days the individual's number of step's walking was at or above that same level during the baseline period (week 1)

  5. Change in Score on University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Survey Measure)

    Time frame: week 5

    20-item scale measuring subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Minimum score = 0; maximum score = 60; higher scores indicate more loneliness. We computed the difference in score from baseline (beginning of week 1) to end of study (end of week 5).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Intervention Period (Weeks 2-3)

    Time frame: week 2-3

    Fraction of days with self report of walking at least 2,000 steps with another participant during intervention period (weeks 2-3)

  2. Fraction of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Self Report) During Follow-up Period (Weeks 4-5)

    Time frame: week 4-5

    Fraction of days with self report of walking at least 2,000 steps with another participant during follow-up period (weeks 3-5)

  3. Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)

    Time frame: week 2-3

    A machine learning (ML) algorithm will compare the walking records from the Aware app of each dyad of participants and assess whether they walked together on each day

  4. Proportion of Days Participant Walked Together With Partner (Coded)

    Time frame: week 4-5

    A machine learning (ML) algorithm will compare the walking records from the Aware app of each dyad of participants and assess whether they walked together on each day

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Carnegie Mellon University

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Virginia

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2021
First posted
Oct 5, 2020
Registry last updated
Mar 28, 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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.