Incentivizing Reflection and Output in Exercise

University of Pennsylvania

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Incentivizing reflection; Behavioral: Incentivizing exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03742778

827107-1257

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will test whether incentivizing post-workout activities (i.e., reflecting on workouts) is more effective than incentivizing actual workouts. This study has two conditions: reflection condition (with incentives for reflecting on workouts) vs. output (with incentives for working out). The focus of the incentives will be reinforced by three text messages per week and weekly emails.

Full description

Gym members register online to participate in a 28-day workout program. Upon registration, participants are assigned to one of two conditions (a condition that incentivizes reflecting on workouts or a condition that incentivizes workouts). Upon registration, participants are prompted to create a workout schedule and are given advice that reflecting on workouts can help build exercise habits. Over the 28-day intervention period, participants receive text message reminders prior to their scheduled workouts and emails reminding them of their schedules. In both conditions, participants receive points every day that they go to the gym, which can be redeemed for a gift card after the intervention period. In the reflection condition, participants can receive bonus points for responding to each of three text messages each week asking about them to reflect on their gym visits. In the output condition, participants receive the same text messages, but receive bonus points for their first three workouts each week, rather than for responding to text messages.

Enrollment: 1,200 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 24 Hour Fitness member

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,200 participants in 2 patient groups

Incentivizing reflection

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive three texts each week asking a question to reflect on their latest workout, and will receive 500 points for each text they answer. These bonus points are on top of points participants receive for each workout (200 points per workout). Example text: "Which best describes how you felt right after your last workout? 1-Energized, 2-Proud, or 3-Tired? Send your personal reply (e.g., "1")"

Treatment:

Behavioral: Incentivizing reflection

Incentivizing Exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive three texts each week asking a question for them to reflect on. Regardless of whether or not they respond to the texts, participants receive 500 bonus points for their first three workouts during the week. These bonus points are on top of points participants receive for each workout (200 points per workout). Example text: "Which best describes how you are feeling now? 1-Energized, 2-Proud, or 3-Tired? Send your personal reply (e.g., "1")"

Treatment:

Behavioral: Incentivizing exercise