Clinical trial NCT02948803: A Smartphone-based Intervention to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Low Educated Working Young Adults
Official title: A Smartphone-based Intervention to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Low Educated Working Young Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Keywords: intervention
mHealth
physical activity
active transport
smartphone
application
Lead sponsor: University Ghent
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders, Belgium
First posted: 2016-10-28
Enrollment: 130
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 28
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: pre, post, follow up measurements with an intervention and control group
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The aim of this smartphone-based intervention study is to determine whether a newly developed app is effective in promoting an active lifestyle in low educated working young adults.

Detailed description: A stepwise approach was used to develop a new native Android smartphone app (Active Coach). This app aims to promote an active lifestyle (through physical activity and active transport) in low educated working young adults. The development of this app is based on theory, evidence and user's experiences. The app focuses on four determinants (knowledge, attitude (perceived benefits and perceived barriers), social support and self-efficacy) and includes several behavioral change techniques (self-monitoring, goal-setting, feedback on behavior, review behavior goals, instruction on how to perform the behavior, information about health consequences, enhancing network linkages and prompts/cues). Furthermore, the app works in combinations with a wearable activity tracker (Fitbit Charge) to track users activity behavior.

For the smartphone-based intervention, 120 low educated working young adults are being recruited via purposeful convenience sampling though companies and employers. Participants can not have any medical conditions that prevent them from being physically active and they need to own an Android smartphone. Fitbit Charge activity trackers will be provided. The participants will be randomly divided in the intervention group or the standard information control group. The intervention period will be nine weeks. At the beginning and the end of the intervention period, physical activity levels will be objectively measured with accelerometers. Follow-up measurements will be conducted 12 weeks after the end of the intervention period.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* between 18 and 28 years old
* low educated (maximum secondary school, no higher education (university or college)
* employed
* dutch speaking
* owning an Android smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

* being very physically active (already reaching the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day)

Primary outcomes:
measure: change in physical activity: objective
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
measure: change in physical activity: self-reported
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in perceived benefits towards physical activity and active transport
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
measure: Change in perceived barriers towards physical activity and active transport
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
measure: Change in social support towards physical activity and active transport
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
measure: Change in self-efficacy towards physical activity and active transport
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
measure: Change in knowledge towards physical activity and active transport
timeFrame: The outcome will be measured at baseline (before start intervention), posttest (9 weeks after the start of the intervention) and follow-up (12 weeks after the posttest)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ghent
country: Belgium
facility: Ghent University
Study officials:
affiliation: University Ghent
name: Dorien Simons
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Simons D, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Clarys P, De Cocker K, Vandelanotte C, Deforche B. Effect and Process Evaluation of a Smartphone App to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Lower Educated Working Young Adults: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018 Aug 24;6(8):e10003. doi: 10.2196/10003.