The Effect of a Web-Based Behavioral Intervention on Physical Activity Levels in Adolescents

HopeLab Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Motivation; Health Behavior; Adolescent Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Zamzee Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01433679

HLZZ-001

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary purpose of this study is to test whether rewarding physical activity with a motivational website will increase physical activity levels in middle school-aged children over six months. As a secondary outcome, the study also tests the intervention's impact on biological measures of inflammation and metabolic function in a sub-set of study participants who agree to provide blood samples.

Full description

Physical activity is associated with a variety of positive health outcomes, as well as improved metabolic profiles and reduced inflammation. However, levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) diminish dramatically as children move into the middle school years. To address this problem, this study tests a behavioral intervention, called "Zamzee," designed to motivate middle school-aged children to increase their levels of MVPA. The Zamzee intervention consists of a 3-axis accelerometer that tracks individual physical activity rates over time and a website that displays individual physical activity rates and provides rewards for maintaining or improving physical activity rates. The primary aim of this randomized, controlled trial is to test whether middle school-aged children randomly assigned to the Zamzee intervention will show significantly greater levels of physical activity levels over six months, compared with control group participants who wear the accelerometer but have no access to the rewards website. A secondary aim is to test the intervention's impact on biological parameters that may contribute to the long-term health effects of inactivity (including C-reactive protein as a measure of inflammation, and hemoglobin-A1C as a measure of metabolic status) in a sub-set of study participants who agree to provide blood samples.

Enrollment: 448 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Middle-school-aged students aged 11 to 14

Exclusion criteria

• Previously participation in a Zamzee pilot study
• Existing medical conditions or health complications that will interfere with the ability to be physically active
• Inability to read and write English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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448 participants in 2 patient groups

Website intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomly assigned to the Website Intervention arm receive access to the motivational rewards website. The website displays the individual's physical activity data and allocates reward points based on the amount and intensity of physical activity. The website also allows reward points to be redeemed for various rewards such as gift cards to retail outlets, donations to charities, small tangible goods, and customization of participants' cartoon-like avatars on the website.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Zamzee Intervention

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the control group will not have access to the motivational website. No other product or intervention will be introduced to the control group.