STEP AND GO: A Study of Technology-based Exercise Promotion
Condition: Cardiovascular Disease; Obesity; Cancer; Diabetes
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of the study is to test an intervention that uses a mobile game to encourage
      increased physical activity among adults.
    

Detailed description: 
      Physical activity reduces cardiometabolic risk factors. Unfortunately, a majority of adults
      do not meet activity recommendations. Though walking is a preferred method for activity with
      proven effectiveness, motivating sustained adherence to activity goals is difficult.
      "Gamification" using technology-based tools holds promise for motivating increased adherence
      to physical activity goals. Gamification occurs when elements from video games (such as
      leaderboards, badges, and progression through a virtual narrative) are integrated into
      non-game applications. Game elements may motivate faster, longer, and/or more frequent
      walking by making walking and self-monitoring more enjoyable. In the proposed research the
      investigators seek to test the feasibility and acceptability of a technology-based
      intervention that "gamifies" physical activity using technology. The investigators will
      randomize 40 inactive overweight adults (20 women, aged 18 - 69) to either an intervention
      group or a wait-list control. (Note: 10 additional participants will be recruited for a
      pre-pilot one-arm test of the intervention to ensure that the mobile devices, cellular
      service, game, etc. are working correctly.) The intervention will consist primarily of
      provision of a mobile device loaded with a narrative-based walking application ("app").
      Participants will be instructed to use the app to achieve activity goals increasing from 60
      to 150 or more minutes per week. The app uses global positioning systems and accelerometry to
      track exercise duration and intensity. Investigators will call participants weekly for brief
      counseling and technical support. The intervention will last 12 weeks. Primary outcomes are
      process measures of feasibility and acceptability, including attrition, reasons for drop-out,
      adherence to use of the app, exposure to calls, and any adverse events. The investigators
      will also compare behavioral (physical activity), weight-related (weight, body composition),
      and health outcomes (fitness, blood pressure) in the intervention group to the wait-list
      control. Finally, theory-based intermediate variables, such as self-efficacy, intrinsic
      motivation, and self-regulation, will also be investigated. This study will provide crucial
      information regarding the promise of gamified apps and will lay a foundation for a larger
      research program in technology-based cardiovascular health promotion.
    

Intervention name(s): Game-based intervention; Smartphone
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Device
Intervention description(s): Investigators will provide participants with a smartphone and required accessories (gift card for downloading the game application and music, headphones, armband). The game, "Zombies, Run!" encourages walking/jogging by playing music interspersed with a continuous narrative. Periodic "zombie chases" encourage brief interval training. Participants will set goals to increase their activity and receive weekly brief counseling phone calls to provide feedback.
Other intervention name(s): Zombies, Run!
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Physical activity; Video game; Mobile; Technology; Obesity