A Randomized-controlled Trial of Social Norm Interventions to Increase Physical Activity

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Physical Activity
• Interventions: Behavioral: Descriptive-plus-Injunctive Social Norm; Behavioral: Descriptive Social Norm

• Registration Number: NCT02710201
• Lead Sponsor: University of California, Merced

Brief Summary

Objective: Physical activity confers numerous health benefits, yet few adults meet recommended physical activity guidelines. The impact of brief messages providing feedback on physical activity was tested in this study. Methods: Young adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) feedback on how active others were, (2) feedback on how active others were plus a message of approval or disapproval depending on whether the participant was more or less active than average, or (3) no feedback (control condition). Participants used pedometers for eight weekdays and recorded their step counts each evening. The group receiving feedback on how active others were got information about the average number of steps taken by group members the previous day. The group that also received approval or disapproval received feedback about the group average, as well as a sad face if the participant was below the average or a happy face if the participant was above the average. The control group received no feedback throughout the study. Impacts of these feedback messages were compared on number of steps taken during the study.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2013-02
• Primary Completion: 2013-08
• Study Completion: 2013-08
• Status Verified: 2016-03
• Study First Submitted: 2016-03-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-03-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-03-15
• Study First Posted: 2016-03-16
• Last Update Posted: 2016-03-17

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 111

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18 or older

Exclusion Criteria

• Answering yes to any questions on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Descriptive-plus-Injunctive Social Norm	Descriptive-plus-Injunctive Social Norm	Average physical activity of other participants in study and message of approval or disapproval (depending on how one is faring compared to others) conveyed to this group.
Descriptive Social Norm	Descriptive Social Norm	Average physical activity of other participants in study conveyed to this group.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Number of steps	Two weeks	Number of steps taken daily, as measured by a pedometer.