Testing Self-Control as a Behavior Change Mechanism to Increase Physical Activity
Condition: Sedentary Lifestyle; Self-control
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Early Phase 1

Summary: 
      The goal of this study is to test self-control as a behavior change mechanism for physical
      activity and to investigate whether a smartphone-based self-control intervention can increase
      physical activity among sedentary middle-aged adults.
    

Detailed description: 
      It is widely known that being physically active is beneficial for one's health and
      well-being, yet only a small percentage of adults engage in the recommended amounts of
      physical activity. Research has shown that health-damaging behaviors such as a sedentary
      lifestyle can be attributed in part to a lack of self-control. There is some evidence that
      self-control strategies can be improved with targeted interventions. The overall aim of the
      proposed study is to test self-control as a behavior change mechanism for physical activity
      and to investigate whether a smartphone-based self-control intervention can increase physical
      activity among sedentary middle-aged and older adults. To test the effect of this
      self-control intervention, participants will be randomized into two conditions: The
      self-control treatment group and the control group. Both groups will track their daily
      physical activity using a Fitbit step counter over eight weeks. Additionally, the
      self-control intervention group will receive a 7-week smartphone-based self-control
      intervention to learn strategies how to potentiate desirable impulses or weaken undesirable
      ones. It is expected that the self-control treatment group will show greater increases in
      physical activity and that changes will last longer compared to the control group.
      Self-control is expected to mediate the relationship between condition and physical activity.
      It is predicted that the self-control treatment group will show greater changes in
      self-control compared to the control group and that people who increase more in self-control
      also increase more in their physical activity. Two versions of the MindHike smartphone
      application will be used to communicate with all participants. The self-control treatment
      group will receive a version delivering a self-control intervention. The control group will
      receive a minimal version without the interventional components. Both groups are matched in
      terms of contact frequency.
    

Intervention name(s): Self-control intervention; Control condition
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants will wear a Fitbit for 8 weeks to record their daily activity data. The first week of the study will provide a baseline measurement of activity. Across the 8 weeks, participants receive daily reminders to wear their Fitbit. After the baseline week, participants will also receive interventional components that target self-control via the smartphone application MindHike. This intervention should help them achieve their activity goals. The self-control intervention teaches strategies how to potentiate desirable impulses and how to avoid undesirable impulses in daily life.; Participants will wear a Fitbit for 8 weeks to record their daily activity data. The first week of the study will provide a baseline measurement of activity. Participants in this condition receive daily reminders to wear their Fitbit through the MindHike smartphone application. Participants in the control group will be matched with the self-control intervention group for how much contact they have with the app and the researchers.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: Physical exercise; Behavior change