Caminamos: A Smartphone App 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 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. In this Phase I research, surveys of potential end-users will determine
      interest in the app and focus groups will help shape a prototype of the app, which will be
      developed and tested to determine feasibility and functionality for a randomized Phase II
      intervention.
    

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. Regular physical activity (PA) promotes
      physical and emotional well-being, yet PA interventions tailored for Latinas remain limited.
      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. Almost
      90% of Latinos own a cellphone; 60% own a smartphone. 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. One
      smartphone feature that offers great potential health promotion benefit is location-based
      services (LBS). LBS use geographic positioning to help users connect to their surrounding
      environment and to other users, thus providing them with real-time, user-specific
      information. This proposed project, ¡Caminamos!, will develop a smartphone app for use with
      18-45 year old Latinas that uses LBS to connect women within geographically proximal
      neighborhoods as a way to provide social support for increased walking behaviors. Specific
      aims are: (1) gather input and evaluative feedback from an Expert Advisory Board (EAB) to
      help plan and assess the feasibility of creating the app; (2) build connections and gather
      input from Latino community leaders to assist in the conceptual development of the app
      through a Community Advisory Board (CAB); (3) conduct 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; (4) conduct iterative focus groups with Latinas age 18-45 years
      to guide development of app content, design, and aesthetics to fully develop a functioning
      prototype; and (5) conduct usability testing with Latinas to test the app's accuracy to
      establish users' location and connect users through the ¡Caminamos! system and users' use and
      satisfaction with the app. Few app-based health products are branded towards Latinas.
      ¡Caminamos! will address this unmet need in the marketplace. It will be the first smartphone
      app that uses location-based social networking to promote PA, and the only app of its kind
      targeted to Latinas. It will also expand upon what is known to be successful in Latino
      exercise engagement while simultaneously addressing key barriers to exercise. Phase I
      outcomes will provide the necessary framework and data for developing a full-scale app to be
      tested in a randomized clinical trial. In Phase III, we plan to market ¡Caminamos! directly
      to consumers in partnership with a company interested in expanding their brand outreach to a
      Latina population.
    

Intervention name(s): Caminamos App
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Mobile phone that encourages Latina women to walk together through social support.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Physical Activity; Latina Women; Minority Health; Mobile Technology; Social Support