Caminamos: A Smartphone App for Latinas to Connect With Walking Partners
Condition: Physical Activity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Despite numerous interventions designed to increase physical activity, few are specifically
      tailored to Latinas, a population where higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic
      diseases are present. This proposed smartphone app, ¡Caminemos Juntas!, will use
      location-based services to connect Latinas with one another in order to improve walking
      habits by increasing social support and decreasing perceived barriers, both of which are
      known to play a role in physical activity behaviors. Through a randomized
      comparative-effectiveness trial, this Phase II project will test the effectiveness of a
      smartphone application for improving physical activity among Latinas when providing them with
      real-time opportunities to connect socially with the goal of walking.
    

Detailed description: 
      Health disparities are high among Latinas. They are more likely to be overweight, diagnosed
      with diabetes, and physically inactive compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
      Thus, interventions that target improving health access and ameliorating chronic diseases
      among Latinas are of high public health importance. Available data suggest that
      community-focused interventions produce improvements in physical activity (PA) and are
      well-received by Latinas especially when social and physical environments are considered
      (e.g., social support, safe walking areas, etc.). Research suggests that Latinos respond
      favorably to technological-based health interventions. Thus, health promotion interventions
      that can address Latinos' preferences regarding their physical and social environments while
      utilizing a preferred technology source (e.g., smartphone) could prove highly successful. In
      a Phase I SBIR, our team developed ¡Caminemos Juntas!, an innovative mobile phone app using
      Location-based Services (LBS) to connect women within geographically proximal neighborhoods
      as a way to provide social support for increased walking behaviors. Specifically, we (a)
      gathered feedback from an Expert Advisory Board (EAB) to help plan and assess the feasibility
      of creating the app; (b) built connections and gathered input from Latina community leaders
      to assist in the conceptual development of the app through a Community Advisory Board (CAB);
      (c) conducted an online survey of a national sample of Latinas on their smartphone usage for
      health promotion, and interest in social networking and LBS technology features; (d)
      conducted iterative focus groups with Latinas to guide development of app content, design,
      and aesthetics to fully develop a functioning prototype; (e) conducted field usability
      testing with Latinas to test the app's accuracy to establish users' location and connect
      users through the ¡Caminemos Juntas! system and users' use and satisfaction with the app; and
      (f) developed a specifications document to outline the Phase II development plan. The results
      of the Phase I activities provided strong support for this Phase II SBIR application. The
      proposed Phase II project will (1) develop a full-scale, fully programmed ¡Caminemos Juntas!
      app; (2) determine whether the ¡Caminemos Juntas! app can be translated and adapted to a new
      community environment; (3) test the performance, usage, and usability of the full-scale,
      fully-programmed app; and (4) evaluate whether ¡Caminemos Juntas! increases physical
      activity, social support for exercise, and quality of life (QOL) in Latinas. ¡Caminemos
      Juntas! will be evaluated in a randomized comparative-effectiveness trial (n=200) with
      Latinas age 18-55 in the Denver, CO and San Jose, CA areas. Overall, the proposed project has
      the potential to significantly impact Latinas' health by providing them with real-time
      opportunities to connect socially with the goal of walking. ¡Caminemos Juntas! will be the
      first app that use geo-location technology dedicated to walking with a social emphasis, for
      any population.
    

Intervention name(s): Caminemos Juntas App; World Walking App
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): A tailored mobile app that encourages Latinas and Hispanic women to walk together using location-based services.; A mobile app that encourages users to walk.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Physical Activity; Latina; Hispanic; Women; Minority Health; Mobile Technology; Social Support; mHealth; Location-based Services; Walking