Physical Activity Promotion in Children Using a Novel Smartphone Game: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Increasing physical activity is critical for children's overall health. Smartphone apps using gamification has shown promise to increasing physical activity using game techniques. This study is a 4-week randomized controlled trial using a gamified smartphone app to determine acceptability and preliminary effectiveness to increase physical activity in children.

Official Title
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Physical Activity Promotion in Children Using a Novel Smartphone Game: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Physical Activity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Gamified Smartphone App
* Behavioral: Physical activity tracking app


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Children aged 8-14 years old Not meeting the recommended Canadian physical activity guidelines of 60min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity English-literate Normal to corrected vision Exclusion Criteria: Diagnosis or injury that prevents physical activity participation No access to a smartphone or tablet

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 8 Years
Maximum Age: 14 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Sham Comparator: Physical Activity Tracking App Only<br>Over a four week period, participants were asked to use the Fitbit app to track their daily physical activity. | Behavioral: Physical activity tracking app<br>* Participants were asked to use the Fitbit app to track and sync their daily physical activity.<br>* Other names: Fitbit app;|
| Active Comparator: Physical Activity Tracking + Gamified Smartphone App<br>Over a four week period, participants were asked to use the Fitbit app to track their daily physical activity. Additionally, they were asked to use the gamified smartphone app, Draco, during the intervention period. | Behavioral: Gamified Smartphone App<br>* The primary objective was to determine the acceptability and satisfaction of the Draco app among children. Secondary objective was to evaluate if the Draco app could improve physical activity levels (steps, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and intrinsic motivation for physical activity in children. The gamified smartphone app, Draco, is a virtual pet simulator where you care for a pet by exercising, walking, and answering healthy lifestyle questions.<br>* Other names: Draco app;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| User satisfaction with gamified smartphone app | User satisfaction was measured using an adapted version of the short form Intrinsic Motivation Inventory used by Ahn, Johnsen & Ball, 2019. Items pertained to the enjoyment, satisfaction of using the app and if the experience was unenjoyable. Scores are rated on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest. 1 = Not true for me; 2 = Not really true for me; 3 = Sometimes true for me; 4 = Often true for me; 5 = Very true for me. | 4 weeks | 
| Acceptability with gamified smartphone app | Exit interviews were performed after the intervention period to determine satisfaction and acceptability. Questions related to their experience using the app, their physical activity behavior (before, during, and after the intervention period) and recommendations for app content | 4 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Steps | Steps were collected using a Fitbit over the intervention period. Fitbit is a previously validated and reliable instrument to measure physical activity (Feehan et al., 2018). | 4 weeks | 
| Physical activity minutes | Minutes of physical activity engaged in by the participants were collected using a Fitbit device worn by participants. The device is worn while the participant is engaging in physical activity. The intensity of exercise is calculated by heartrate. Fitbit is a previously validated and reliable instrument to measure physical activity (Feehan et al., 2018). | 4 weeks | 
| Motivation for physical activity | Motivation for physical activity was measured using an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory used by Ahn, Johnsen & Ball, 2019. Questions related to perceived competence to physical activity, perceived autonomy to physical activity and perceived relatedness to the app. The items addressed perceived competence, perceived autonomy, and relatedness. Scores are rated on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest. 1 = Not true for me; 2 = Not really true for me; 3 = Sometimes true for me; 4 = Often true for me; 5 = Very true for me. | 4 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Children, Mobile health, Gamification, Physical Activity