Motivating Activity Through Text Communications - Helping Adults Increase Movement
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age40+
SponsorUniversity of Michigan
About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of different types of text messages on physical activity levels of middle-aged and older adults and to determine whether these messages are effective in adults age 40 and older who are engaging in less than 90 minutes per week of moderate or higher intensity physical activity. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Which types of motivational messages show the greatest effects on changes in daily step counts in a 3-month precision text messaging intervention? * What are the effects of personalized text messages on automatic affective evaluations, habit strength (experienced automaticity), exercise identity, working memory capacity, and processing speed?
Participants will:
* Wear a Fitbit activity tracker continuously for 3 months and are encouraged to continue wearing it through 6 months. * Wear an activPAL activity monitor on their thigh for 7-day assessment periods at the beginning of the study, at 3 months, and at 6 months. * Complete 3 cognitive assessments ("brain games") per day on their smartphone during the 7-day assessment periods at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. * Be asked to set goals to increase their daily steps over the first 3 months of the study. * Receive up to 4 motivational text messages per day for 3 months to encourage physical activity. * Keep study-related apps (Fitbit app, AIM app, MetricWire app) open in the background on their smartphone. * Complete questionnaires at the beginning of the study, at 3 months, and at 6 months
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Be 40 years of age or older
Own a smartphone running an Android or iOS operating system
Have proficiency with the English language
Be capable of providing informed consent
Disqualifiers
Residing outside of the continental United States
Self-reporting 90 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per week
contraindications to normal physical activity as identified on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
Mobility restrictions that interfere with unassisted physical activity
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Text Messaging Intervention
BehavioralParticipants will receive up to 4 motivational text messages per day during a self-selected 12-hour window. These messages focus on two content areas: 1) Move more, and 2) sit less. Delivery of these messages occurs in two phases: 1. Random AIM (month 1): Messages are sent at random times within the participant's window to collect baseline data on their behavioral responses. 2. Precision AIM (months 2 and 3): Messages are sent at optimized times based on person-specific models that are created from the individual's previous responses to text messages from month 1.
Treatment groups
150 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Validated library of text messagesActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: Newly created text messagesExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Daily Step Count
The primary outcome measure is the average daily step count, which is assessed using a blinded, research-grade activPAL activity monitor, worn on the thigh for a 7-day assessment period.
Time frame
The activPAL is worn on the thigh for a 7-day assessment period before the intervention begins (baseline), after 3 months of intervention, and then again 3 months after the intervention is complete. The total time frame is 6 months.Secondary outcomes
1
Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Habit Strength
Habit Strength will be assessed using the Behavioral Automaticity Index from the Self-Report Habit Index to measure how automatic the exercise behavior has become. Scores are calculated as the average item responses and range from 1 to 7 with higher scores reflecting greater experienced automaticity (i.e., stronger habits).
Time frame
These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).2
Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Exercise Identity (Reflective)
Exercise Identity will be assessed using the Exercise Identity Scale to see how much participants view themselves as "exercisers". Scores are based on the average item response and range from 1 to 7 with higher scores representing a stronger exercise identity.
Time frame
These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).3
Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Automatic Affective Evaluations
Automatic Affective Evaluations will be assessed using a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SCIAT) to assess non-conscious attitudes toward physical activity. Scores are standardized mean differences of response times between blocks of trials where physical activity is paired with unpleasant attributes and blocks of trials where physical activity is paired with pleasant attributes. Higher scores indicate more favorable automatic affective evaluations of physical activity.
Time frame
These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).4
Ambulatory Cognitive Function: Processing Speed
Processing Speed will be assessed with the Mobile Monitoring of Cognitive Change (M2C2) Symbol Search Task. Scores are based on response times for accurate trials so there is no fixed range for scores. Shorter response times indicate faster (better) processing speed; longer response times indicate slower (worse) processing speed.
Time frame
These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: Baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (6 month).Sponsors and contacts
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University of Michigan
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov