Evaluating Motivational Interviewing and Habit Formation to Enhance the Effect of Activity Trackers on Physical Activity

Laura Ellingson-Sayen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Physical Activity Promotion

Treatments: Behavioral: Activity tracker and health coaching

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03837366

LEllingson_Fitbit_Intervention

Details and patient eligibility

About

Wearable fitness monitors are increasingly popular but the actual utility of these devices for promoting physical activity behavior is unknown. The purpose is to examine the efficacy of the Fitbit monitor for previously inactive individuals when used alone or following brief training in behavior change strategies and techniques. Psychosocial factors will be assessed and changes in physical activity will be monitored over three months to determine the efficacy of this intervention and to better understand individual differences in effectiveness.

Full description

The objective for this pilot study is to determine the efficacy of the Fitbit Charge wearable fitness monitor alone or in combination with additional behavior change strategies for increasing physical activity in inactive adults. A secondary objective is to assess the influence of psychosocial factors (e.g. self-efficacy, self-regulation, habit formation) on the effectiveness of this type of behavior change intervention. The central hypothesis is that use of the Fitbit will increase physical activity from baseline and that adding additional strategies will enhance this effect. This hypothesis is based on previous research demonstrating that continuous self- monitoring (using wearable technology) is effective in promotion of weight-loss in overweight and obese adults. This objective will be addressed through pursuing the following specific aims.

Aim 1: To determine the efficacy of using the Fitbit to increase physical activity behaviors and improve health markers in inactive adults. The working hypothesis is that wearing a Fitbit for 3 months will increase physical activity and improve health markers from baseline to follow-up in inactive adults.

Aim 2: To compare the efficacy of the Fitbit alone to the Fitbit in combination with behavior change strategies for increasing physical activity and improving psychosocial factors in inactive adults. The working hypothesis is that using the Fitbit along with behavior change strategies will lead to greater improvements in physical activity and psychosocial factors (self- motivation, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social support) than using the Fitbit alone.

Aim 3: To assess the influence of individual differences in psychosocial variables on changes in physical activity over the intervention. The working hypothesis is that higher levels of self- motivation, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social support at baseline will be predictive of greater improvements in physical activity over the intervention, regardless of group assignment.

Enrollment: 91 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 24 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Not meeting physical activity guidelines

Exclusion criteria

• Meeting physical activity guidelines
• Injury or condition that limits mobility

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

91 participants in 2 patient groups

Activity Tracker with Health Coaching

Experimental group

Description:

Participants assigned to this condition will receive a Fitbit activity tracker to use for 3 months. Also, they will be asked to come in for a visit approximately one week following baseline assessments. Using the principles of Motivational Interviewing and Habit Formation, participants will discuss their perceived benefits and barriers of becoming more physically active with a member of the research team. They will also be encouraged to set a goal related to using their Fitbit to increase their physical activity. Lastly, they will be given information regarding habit formation and encouraged to identify one or more cues that regularly occur in their daily life to check their Fitbit data as a prompt to engage in physical activity.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Activity tracker and health coaching

Activity Tracker alone

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants assigned to this condition will use their Fitbit on their own for the duration of 3- month intervention, similar to the experience of participants buying the device off-the-shelf.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Activity tracker and health coaching