Applying Mobile Persuasive Technologies to Increase Physical Activity in Women

University of California San Francisco (UCSF)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Physical Activity; Sedentary Lifestyle

Treatments: Behavioral: Mobile phone based physical activity intervention with maintenance regular; Behavioral: Control (pedometer only); Behavioral: Mobile phone based physical activity intervention with maintenance plus

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01280812

5R01HL104147-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

P0031274

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of the mobile phone-based physical activity intervention on increasing physical activity compared to the control group.

Full description

Physical inactivity is associated with increased risk of co-morbidity and premature mortality. Given the rapid growth of mobile phone technology and the increasing number of users, the investigators developed an interactive mobile phone-based physical activity intervention for sedentary women. The investigators propose to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the mobile phone-based physical activity intervention on increasing physical activity over a 3-month period. 192 sedentary women will be randomized in a 2-to-1 ratio to a 3-month mobile phone-based physical activity intervention group or to a control group. To provide insight into how best to maximize the potential for sustained physical activity after completion of the 3-month program, women in the intervention group who complete the physical activity program will be further randomized into a 6-month maintenance intervention-PLUS program (pedometer plus mobile phone diary) or to a 6-month maintenance intervention-REGULAR program (pedometer only). Unlike a conventional maintenance follow-up in which all subjects continue in their respective randomization arms, re-randomizing subjects into either a maintenance intervention-REGULAR group or a maintenance intervention-PLUS group will allow us to examine the "dose-response" of the maintenance methods if the intervention is effective.

Enrollment: 210 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 25 to 69 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Sedentary lifestyle at work and/or during leisure time
• Intend to be physically active
• Female, age >25 to 69
• Access to a home telephone or a mobile phone
• Speak and read English

Exclusion criteria

• Known medical conditions or other physical problems that need special attention in an exercise program
• Plan a trip abroad during the first 4 months of the study period.
• Pregnant/Delivered a baby during the last 6 months
• Known severe hearing or speech problem
• Body Mass Index (BMI) > 43.0 kg/m2
• Currently participate in lifestyle modification programs or research studies that may potentially confound the results of the study
• History of bariatric surgery or future plans for bariatric surgery in the next 12 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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210 participants in 3 patient groups

PA intervention and Maintenance plus

Experimental group

Description:

3-month physical activity intervention and 6-month maintenance intervention-Plus program

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mobile phone based physical activity intervention with maintenance plus

PA intervention and Maintenance regular

Experimental group

Description:

3-month physical activity intervention and 6-month maintenance - Regular program

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mobile phone based physical activity intervention with maintenance regular

Pedometer

Active Comparator group

Description:

Non-intervention group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control (pedometer only)