Clinical trial NCT02638675: Financial Health Incentives to Promote Physical Activity Among Hospital Employees: A Randomized Control Trial
Official title: Examining Financial Health Incentives to Promote Physical Activity Among Inactive Hospital Employees: A Web-based Randomized Control Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physically Inactive Hospital Employees
Keywords: financial health incentives
physical activity
behavioral economics
randomized control trial
workplace health
Lead sponsor: University of Toronto
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Green Shield Canada Inc.
name: Cookson James Loyalty Inc.
name: Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
First posted: 2015-12-23
Enrollment: 99
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The objective of this randomized control trial is to examine whether incentives-for-steps (i.e. $1 per day step count goals are reached) increase daily step counts among physically inactive hospital employees.

Detailed description: A 24-week, parallel arm, randomized control trial will be employed to examine the impact of incentives on physical activity among physically inactive Hamilton Health Science Corporation employees. Participants will be randomly allocated (1:1) into control (i.e. wellness program and accelerometer) or intervention groups (i.e. wellness program, accelerometer, incentives), where only intervention participants will receive reward points for completing daily step count goals.

After randomization, a baseline 'run-in' assessment phase will occur one week prior to the study intervention (T0). During this 'run-in' period, participants will wear a Bluetooth enabled StepsCount Piezo accelerometer, which will track participants' daily steps and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and synchronize their accelerometer (i.e. upload information) to the Change4Life program for seven days. Participants will also be asked to complete the Behavioural Regulation to Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale.

Throughout the 24-week study, all participants will be asked to wear the accelerometer and synchronize it to the Change4Life program daily. Date, steps per day, and bout minutes of MVPA per day (bouts include 10 or more continuous minutes of MVPA) will be collected when the accelerometer is synchronized. Daily synchronization from the accelerometer to the Change4Life program must be completed by 10 am the next morning. Participants will be instructed to increase their daily step counts by 1,000 and 2,000 steps above baseline (T0) over the course of the first six weeks of the study. On week 7, participants will be asked to increase daily steps per day to 3,000 over baseline, and maintain that level of activity for the duration of the study.

Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (T0), intervention end point (T2), and follow up (T3).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Over the age of 18 years
* English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

* Existing medical condition, which could be exacerbated by physical activity as measured by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.

Note. Participants cannot enrol in the study without Internet access

Primary outcomes:
measure: Steps
timeFrame: Daily for 24 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: 10 Minute Bouts of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity
timeFrame: Daily for 24 weeks
measure: Motivation to Exercise - Behavioural Regulation to Exercise Questionnaire; BREQ-3
timeFrame: Baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).
measure: Walking Self-Efficacy - Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale; SEE Scale
timeFrame: Baseline (T0; week 0), intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).
measure: 10 Minute Bouts of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity
timeFrame: Intervention end point (T2; week 12), and follow up assessments (T3; week 24).
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Toronto
name: Guy Faulkner, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Resnick B, Jenkins LS. Testing the reliability and validity of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise scale. Nurs Res. 2000 May-Jun;49(3):154-9. doi: 10.1097/00006199-200005000-00007.
citation: Markland D, Tobin V. A modification of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire to include an assessment of amotivation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 26: 191-196, 2004.
citation: Wilson PM, Rodgers WM, Loitz CC, Scime G. "It's who I am…really!" The importance of integrated regulation in exercise contexts. Journal of Biobehavioral Research 11: 79-104, 2006.
citation: Booth M. Assessment of physical activity: an international perspective. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2000 Jun;71(2 Suppl):S114-20. No abstract available.
citation: Craig CL, Marshall AL, Sjostrom M, Bauman AE, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE, Pratt M, Ekelund U, Yngve A, Sallis JF, Oja P. International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Aug;35(8):1381-95. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB.
citation: Mitchell M, White L, Oh P, Kwan M, Gove P, Leahey T, Faulkner G. Examining Incentives to Promote Physical Activity Maintenance Among Hospital Employees Not Achieving 10,000 Daily Steps: A Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. JMIR Res Protoc. 2016 Dec 12;5(4):e231. doi: 10.2196/resprot.6285.