Clinical trial NCT04522141: Testing Self-Control as a Behavior Change Mechanism to Increase Physical Activity
Official title: Testing Self-Control as a Behavior Change Mechanism to Increase Physical Activity
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: EARLY_PHASE1
Conditions: Sedentary Lifestyle
Self-control
Keywords: Physical exercise
Behavior change
Lead sponsor: Brandeis University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
First posted: 2020-08-21
Enrollment: 81
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 35
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The goal of this study is to test self-control as a behavior change mechanism for physical activity and to investigate whether a smartphone-based self-control intervention can increase physical activity among sedentary middle-aged adults.

Detailed description: It is widely known that being physically active is beneficial for one's health and well-being, yet only a small percentage of adults engage in the recommended amounts of physical activity. Research has shown that health-damaging behaviors such as a sedentary lifestyle can be attributed in part to a lack of self-control. There is some evidence that self-control strategies can be improved with targeted interventions. The overall aim of the proposed study is to test self-control as a behavior change mechanism for physical activity and to investigate whether a smartphone-based self-control intervention can increase physical activity among sedentary middle-aged and older adults. To test the effect of this self-control intervention, participants will be randomized into two conditions: The self-control treatment group and the control group. Both groups will track their daily physical activity using a Fitbit step counter over eight weeks. Additionally, the self-control intervention group will receive a 7-week smartphone-based self-control intervention to learn strategies how to potentiate desirable impulses or weaken undesirable ones. It is expected that the self-control treatment group will show greater increases in physical activity and that changes will last longer compared to the control group. Self-control is expected to mediate the relationship between condition and physical activity. It is predicted that the self-control treatment group will show greater changes in self-control compared to the control group and that people who increase more in self-control also increase more in their physical activity. Two versions of the MindHike smartphone application will be used to communicate with all participants. The self-control treatment group will receive a version delivering a self-control intervention. The control group will receive a minimal version without the interventional components. Both groups are matched in terms of contact frequency.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* between 35-65 years of age
* fluent in English
* fit enough to walk for at least 20 min at a time
* owns a smartphone

Exclusion Criteria:

* experienced a fall or heart problem/condition in the last 6 months
* is currently participating in an exercise program to increase physical activity
* is already physically active (physically active = exercise regularly 3 times per week, or more for at least 30min)
* was advised by a doctor to not walk due to health conditions

Primary outcomes:
measure: Objective Physical Activity
timeFrame: Average daily steps baseline week (week 1); average daily steps between pretest and posttest (week 2-8); average daily steps between posttest and followup (week 9-12)
measure: Self-Reported Physical Activity
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Self-Control
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Weekly Self-Control
timeFrame: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Big Five Personality Traits
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Exercise Self-efficacy
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Satisfaction With Life
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Sense of Control
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Stop & Go Switch Task
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Backward Digit Span Test
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
measure: Immediate Word List Recall Task
timeFrame: Baseline (Pretest) T1, Week 8 (Posttest) T2, Week 12 (Follow-up) T3
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Waltham
country: United States
facility: Brandeis University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Brandeis University
name: Margie Lachman, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Stieger M, Allemand M, Lachman ME. Targeting self-control as a behavior change mechanism to increase physical activity: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Jan;100:106236. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106236. Epub 2020 Dec 1.