Clinical trial NCT02267369: The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Official title: The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Keywords: online
social media
online social network
physical activity
message
Lead sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-10-17
Enrollment: 217
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The overall objective of this research is to collect data for understanding whether messages in online environments impact fitness attitudes and behaviors. In particular, the study aims to experimentally examine what features of online social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - impact offline fitness measures (such fitness workshop enrollment and self-reported physical activity level). The study partners with an existing fitness program at a large northeastern university, which provides a 13-week fitness program for graduate and professional students at the university. The program begins with a university-run eligibility assessment of specific fitness measures for all participants, who win prizes for improvements in program participation and health behavior outcomes. The fitness program consists of semester-long series of workshops offered through the university's recreation department. The randomized trial constructs an online social media platform for the fitness program that provides a way to send either promotion health messages or messages about peer activities to the online community.

Detailed description: Sedentary lifestyle among university students and young adults has become a global epidemic. Widespread use of social media is both a contributing factor, and a potential solution; however the cost-effective use of social media to promote fitness on college campuses is poorly understood. This study aims to identify what features of social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - can increase physical activity levels.

In this randomized controlled trial, participants are randomized to three conditions: basic online program for enrolling in university-run weekly fitness workshops, media condition that supplements the basic program with promotional media messages, and a social condition that replaces the media content with a network of peers. Participants are limited to graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.
* Logging in to the study website at least once after online registration

Exclusion Criteria:

* Inability to perform physical activities (e.g., broken limbs), and underlying diseases that were likely to affect participant safety. Ineligibility is determined by the Department of Recreation and Health Services at the university.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Fitness workshop enrollment
timeFrame: Up to 3 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in participants' self-reported physical activity level
timeFrame: Baseline and 3 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
name: Damon M. Centola, Ph.D
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
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