Gamified App on Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Anxiety in Autism
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum DisorderPhysical ActivityAnxietyMobile Health
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Mobile Health for Physical Activity Behavior Change
- Registration Number
- NCT05466617
- Lead Sponsor
- Indiana University
- Brief Summary
Background: Physical activity (PA) has an impact on physical and mental health in neurotypical populations, and addressing these variables may improve the prevalent burden of anxiety in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gamified mobile apps using behavior change techniques present a promising way of increasing PA and reducing sedentary time, thus reducing anxiety in adults with ASD.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a gamified and behavior change technique-based mobile app, PuzzleWalk, versus a commercially available app, Google Fit, on increasing PA and reducing sedentary time as an adjunct anxiety treatment for this population.
Methods: A total of 24 adults with ASD were assigned to either the PuzzleWalk or Google Fit group for 5 weeks using a covariate-adaptive randomization design. PA and anxiety were assessed over 7 days at 3 different data collection periods (ie, baseline, intervention start, and intervention end) using triaxial accelerometers and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Group differences in outcome variables were assessed using repeated-measures analysis of covariance, adjusting for age, sex, and BMI.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 24
- Self-reported medical diagnosis of anxiety or self-identification of experiencing anxiety symptoms for the past 3 or more months
- Access to a supported device (smartphones with Android 4.4 and higher or iOS 9.0 and higher operating system)
- Cognitive ability to understand the purpose of the study
- No prior experience using the PA mobile apps used in the study
- Individuals with low cognitive function, co-occurring intellectual disabilities, or mobility impairments
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description PuzzleWalk Mobile Health for Physical Activity Behavior Change PuzzleWalk incorporates behavior change techniques (BCTs), a theory-based method of promoting healthy behavior change by leveraging psychological determinants. The example techniques included in PuzzleWalk are a comprehensive, visualized user guide, self-monitoring of target performance, contingent rewards, and goal setting. It is a spot the difference puzzle game comprising 660 major city images around the world. This format was chosen because it is easy to understand the purpose of the game, and it can quickly capture the user's interests without a complex comprehension process. Moreover, this visual image-based game facilitates visual interaction, which is a unique strength of individuals with ASD. The most unique design element of PuzzleWalk is the conversion algorithm between steps and game-solving time. Specifically, the user's accumulated steps are directly converted to game-solving time to motivate PA participation. Google Fit Mobile Health for Physical Activity Behavior Change Google Fit (Google LLC) is a PA-tracking platform developed by Google for Android and Apple iOS. The app uses a sensor built into a smartphone device to automatically track PA, including steps and active minutes. It also allows users to journal and record a variety of forms of PA (eg, cycling, weightlifting, and yoga) by manually setting the activity tracking mode. Google Fit uses a heart point-based reward system as a gamification strategy to provide users with individualized exercise tips incorporated with PA recommendations outlined by the American Heart Association. The number of heart points received based on active minutes is the app's primary gamification strategy.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Baseline Physical Activity and Changes from Baseline Physical Activity at 4th and 8th weeks 7 days over three different data collection periods (total 21 days) Accelerometer-Measured Objective Physical Activity Levels
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Baseline Anxiety and Changes from Baseline Anxiety at 4th and 8th weeks 7 days over three different data collection periods (total 21 days) Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, Epstein, Brown, \& Steer, 1988) was used to assess participants' prolonged state of anxiety. The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a self-report scale comprising 21 items that measure the severity of anxiety symptoms during the past week. The score range is 0-63, with higher scores indicating greater degrees of anxiety.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Indiana University School of Public Health
🇺🇸Bloomington, Indiana, United States