Text Messages and Physical Activity Among Teens

Baylor College of Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Physical Activity

Treatments: Behavioral: TXT Me

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01482234

R21HD066305 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

H-27537

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to assess whether text messages can be used as a way to increase the amount of physical activity teens get each day.

Full description

This research will develop an innovative intervention that promotes physical activity to 14-17 year olds (roughly high school aged youth). It is guided by Self Determination Theory and seeks to enhance adolescents' feelings of physical activity autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key psychological needs related to motivation to be physically active. The physical activity to be promoted is walking, which has broad appeal and can be performed as part of usual-day activities. Since youth are heavy users of cell phones and texting, the intervention will send theoretically-grounded text messages designed to enhance physical activity.

Enrollment: 160 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 17 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 14-17 years old
• access to a computer with high speed internet access
• home email address
• cell phone that can send/receive text messages
• text message plan
• fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

• mental or physical limitations that impair ability to fully participate in the program and/or complete baseline and post assessment data collection.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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160 participants in 4 patient groups

pedometers only

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers only. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.

Treatment:

Behavioral: TXT Me

pedometers + prompts

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers plus a weekly prompt to set a step goal. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.

Treatment:

Behavioral: TXT Me

pedometer + prompt + messages

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers, weekly prompts, and 6 motivational text messages a week. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.

Treatment:

Behavioral: TXT Me

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants randomized to this group will participate in data collection only; they will not receive an intervention.