Effect of #LIFEGOALS on Adolescents' Mental Health
Condition: Well-being; Life Style, Healthy; Resilience; Depressive Symptoms
MeSH terms: Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the #LIFEGOALS intervention for
      promoting mental health in early adolescents.
    

Detailed description: 
      The aim of the MOV-E-STAR project is to promote mental health in early adolescents (12-15
      years) by motivating them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Adolescents can protect their mental
      health by increasing physical activity, reducing sitting time, getting sufficient sleep, and
      taking a daily breakfast. Targeting these healthy lifestyle behaviours in young adolescents
      is an empowering, low-threshold approach that can create large public health effects. The
      MOV-E-STAR project aims to meet the need for an intervention targeting these behaviors in the
      adolescent population. Therefore, the mobile intervention '#LIFEGOALS' was developed in
      collaboration with stakeholders and users. The theory-based intervention consists of an
      application that includes (a) a self-regulation component for goal setting, self-monitoring
      and feedback, (b) a narrative in the form of short episodes from a youth daily drama for
      modelling, attitude change and increased engagement, and (c) an automated chat-function for
      social support and sustained engagement with the intervention.

      The current study will test the intervention in a group-randomized controlled trial for its
      effects on mental well-being. Participants in the intervention group will have the #LIFEGOALS
      intervention installed on their phone and will be asked to use the intervention for 12
      consecutive weeks. Participants in the control group will not receive an intervention but
      will only participate in the measurements. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline,
      intermittent (7 weeks after baseline) and post (13 weeks after baseline). Measures will
      include smart wearables and surveys.
    

Intervention name(s): #LIFEGOALS
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Digital health behaviour change intervention including:
self-regulation component with Fitbit: goal setting, monitoring, feedback;
narrative component: every week participants receive a new episode (2-5 minutes) of a youth series modeling the target behaviours;
chatbot component: automated virtual coach that will send encouraging messages and give an automated answer to user questions.
Participants install the #LIFEGOALS app on their own mobile phone and are asked to use the app during 12 consecutive weeks. Three times per week a notification will be sent to encourage engagement with the intervention.
Other intervention name(s): MOV-E-STAR intervention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Group-Randomized Control Trial with Intervention and Control group. Randomization will occur at group level (school) to avoid spillover effects between the two conditions.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: mHealth; mental well-being; adolescent; digital behavior change intervention; healthy lifestyle