mActive: A Blinded, Randomized mHealth Activity Trial
Condition: Physical Activity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Despite their importance, health-related behaviors are hard to change. Among behaviors,
      physical activity is associated with protection from multiple diseases. People who are
      physically active have lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and
      some cancers with associated dose-dependent reductions in cardiovascular and all-cause
      mortality. However, most US adults do not meet CDC physical activity guidelines. Sedentary
      work behavior in industrialized nations is likely a contributor to this problem.

      Current low-technology strategies for encouraging lifestyle change are disappointingly
      ineffective and are highly resource intensive. Systematic reviews of the literature show
      mixed evidence for using activity trackers (i.e., pedometers) and a limited body of evidence
      for text messaging in preventive health care. However, prior studies have not integrated
      digital activity tracking with mobile phone text messaging feedback.

      Given 91% of adults in the United States now use a mobile phone, and 56% a smartphone, this
      represents a potentially widely applicable avenue for therapeutic intervention. There is
      growing interest in leveraging mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve health
      behaviors in the general population. The investigators propose to conduct a blinded,
      randomized mHealth trial of digital activity tracking and smart texting to promote physical
      activity.
    

Detailed description: 
      Using an innovative, convenient, mHealth trial design, this pilot study aims to test the
      feasibility of a seamless model of information flow integrating digital activity tracker
      information with a mobile phone texting system to deliver a technology-enhanced intervention
      that does not require in-person follow-up.

      The investigators hypothesize that:

        1. individuals overestimate their physical activity, especially that done at work.

        2. biofeedback from an activity tracker can increase physical activity via increasing
           self-awareness.

        3. "smart" text message feedback can increase physical activity via personalizing health
           coaching.

      Digitalized activity tracking will use the Fitbug Orb, which syncs via Bluetooth with one's
      smartphone. It is a display-free triaxial accelerometer, allowing one to blind participants
      to numeric feedback. Text messaging will use Reify Health's "smart" platform for
      personalized, interactive texting by an automated and repeatable algorithm. Texting will be
      informed by real-time activity information.

      Potential advantages of the trial strategy include elimination of attendance at in-person
      sessions, personalization of health coaching, more continuous patient contact; inexpensive
      intervention, the ultimate ability to scale our intervention to larger target populations.

      After initial pilot trial completion, additional study will include long-term physical
      activity follow-up of participants and focus groups.
    

Intervention name(s): Digital Activity Tracker; Smart Text Messaging
Intervention type(s): Device; Other
Other intervention name(s): Fitbug Orb
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: physical activity; exercise; mHealth; smartphone; activity tracker; pedometer; text messaging; SMS