The LvL UP Pilot Trial
- Conditions
- Noncommunicable DiseasesLifestyle Risk ReductionMental Health IssueHealth Behavior
- Interventions
- Behavioral: LvL UPBehavioral: ComparisonBehavioral: LvL UP + MI
- Registration Number
- NCT06360029
- Lead Sponsor
- Singapore ETH Centre
- Brief Summary
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer, and common mental disorders (CMDs), such as depression or anxiety, represent the primary causes of death and disability worldwide, causing major health and financial burdens. Lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, diet, stress and emotional regulation, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and sleep are important modifiable risk factors associated with the prevention and management of both NCDs and CMDs.
LvL UP is a mHealth intervention aimed at preventing NCDs and CMDs in adults from multi-ethnic Southeast Asian populations (Castro et al., 2023). Building upon leading evidence- and theory-based frameworks in the areas of mental health and behaviour change, a multidisciplinary team of researchers developed LvL UP as a holistic intervention centred around three core pillars: Move More, Eat Well, Stress Less.
The goal of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of a Sequential, Multiple Assignment, Randomized Trial (SMART) aimed at (i) evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of LvL UP and (ii) establishing the optimal blended approach in LvL UP that balances effective personalized lifestyle support with scalability. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. What are the intervention's preliminary, short-term effects? What is the intervention's level of engagement? What is the number of dropouts? What is the percentage of missing data? What is the intervention's responder / non-responder rate after week 4? How easy was to recruit the target sample size and which channels worked best?
2. Considering the above pilot study results: What is the overall feasibility of the SMART research protocol in its current form? Are there any changes required for the main trial? This includes: recruitment approach, intervention content and delivery (app, provision of human support), and/or trial assessments (online and in-person).
- Detailed Description
Participants will:
* Visit the study site at baseline and week 8 to complete assessments.
* Complete an online assessment at week 4.
* Be assigned to group 1 (intervention) or group 2 (comparison).
* Participants in group 1 will download the LvL UP App.
* Participants in group 1 categorized as 'non-responders' at week 4 will receive four motivational interviewing coaching sessions in addition to continue using the LvL UP app (LvL UP + MI).
* Participants in group 2 will receive a package with standard lifestyle resources from Singapore's Health Promotion Board.
Participants will be randomly allocated to groups 1 or 2 (LvL UP or comparison) following a 2:1 ratio favoring the LvL UP group. At week 4 (decision point), participants from the LvL UP group will be classified as responders or non-responders based on pre-specified criteria. Non-responder participants will be re-randomized with equal probability (1:1) to one of the two second-line conditions: (i) continuing with the initial intervention (LvL UP) or (ii) additional MI support sessions (LvL UP + MI). Response / non-response categorization will involve assessing preliminary intervention effects (positive change in one of the following: physical activity, diet or mental well-being) as well as satisfaction with the intervention (net promoter score).
Participants will also take part in a process evaluation informed by the UK Medical Research Council's guidelines (Moore et al., 2015) to explore implementation (process, fidelity, dose, adaptations, reach), mechanisms of action (participant experience and response to intervention, mediators, unexpected pathways and consequences), and contextual factors that may affect implementation and intervention outcomes. Methods will entail qualitative and quantitative approaches, including surveys, interviews, web-based and app-based analytic data, and direct observation. In addition, other measures have been added to the research protocol to address the following exploratory aims: (i) explore time-varying and baseline moderators on intervention outcomes (e.g., sociodemographic variables, personality), (ii) identify the most cost-effective intervention condition from the societal perspective (e.g., self-reported sickness absence), and (iii) investigate which LvL UP app and smartphone sensor data (e.g., usage patterns, location) might be effective in predicting participant's engagement, state of receptivity to LvL UP notifications, or state of vulnerability (mental health conditions). All measures are described in the outcomes section.
To formalize the sample size calculations for the pilot study, the precision-based approach by Yan et al. (2020) was used to ensure the estimated outcomes for LvL UP and LvL UP + MI are controlled within a certain precision (i.e., the margin of error as a proportion of the outcome's standard deviation). Assuming a 50% responder rate, a two-tailed Type I error of 5% and a precision of 30%, a total of 97 participants will be required. Taking an 82% retention estimate for digital health interventions lasting ≤8 weeks (Jabir et al., 2023) and rounding up the number, 120 participants will be recruited. Therefore, 40 and 80 participants will be randomly assigned to the comparison condition (group 2) and LvL UP (group 1), respectively. In addition, an estimated 40 participants from group intervention will be re-randomized to continue with LvL UP or have LvL UP + MI. Considering participants assigned to group 1 are asked to nominate a LvL UP Buddy, which will be part of the process evaluation of the trial and thus technically considered participants, the total estimated sample size is 200 (120 trial participants and 60 LvL UP Buddies).
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 200
- Aged 21 to 59 years,
- Singapore citizens or permanent residents,
- Planning to reside in Singapore for the duration of the study,
- Proficient in English (the LvL UP app is currently only available in English),
- Owners of a smartphone (minimum requirements: iOS version 12.4 and Android version 8) with internet access,
- Able to provide informed consent, and
- Identified as 'at risk' of developing NCDs and/or CMDs. To identify those 'at risk' of developing NCDs or CMDs, an eligibility survey will assess five different risk factors (physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, poor mental well-being, family history of health conditions, and being overweight or obese) and generate a composite risk factor score.
- Diagnosed with one of the following chronic disease: heart disease (e.g., heart attack and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (e.g., chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma), diabetes (type1 and type2), or chronic kidney disease,
- Diagnosed with one of the following mental disorder: major depressive disorders (depression), bipolar, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, severe personality disorder, substance use disorders, or other mental health conditions diagnosed by a mental health professional,
- Pregnant,
- Currently taking medications prescribed for high blood pressure or high blood glucose, and
- Already participating in the study as a LvL UP Buddy.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SEQUENTIAL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description LvL UP LvL UP Downloading and using the LvL UP app Comparison Comparison Receiving healthy lifestyle and mental well-being resources from Singapore's Health Promotion Board LvL UP + MI LvL UP + MI Downloading and using the LvL UP app + taking part in motivational interviewing support sessions
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS-14). The total score ranges from 14 to 70, with higher values indicating higher mental well-being.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Subjective well-being (World Health Organization Well-Being Index) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The total score ranges from 0 to 25, with higher values indicating higher well-being.
Mental health (depression - Patient Health Questionnaire-9) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The total score ranges from 0 to 27. Scores of 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-27 are the ranges for none, mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression, respectively.
Mental health (stress - Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). The total score ranges from 10 to 50, with higher values indicating higher levels of psychological distress.
Health-related quality of life (European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version) Baseline, week 8 Assessed using the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EQ-5D-5L). The EQ-5D-5L descriptive system of 5 health dimensions (Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, Pain / discomfort, Anxiety / depression) includes 5 response categories of no problem, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems. Health states are scored to give the EQ-5D-5L index using a scoring algorithm from a value set derived from valuation tasks undertaken with general population samples.
Health behaviours (physical activity - International Physical Activity Questionnaire) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-long). Results can be reported in categories (low activity levels, moderate activity levels or high activity levels) or as a continuous variable (MET minutes a week).
Health behaviours (number of steps - smartphone-based) Throughout the study period (i.e., assessed every day during 8 weeks) Smartphone-based steps
Health behaviours (sleep - Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) Baseline, week 8 Assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more acute sleep disturbances.
Health behaviours (quantity and frequency of smoking and alcohol consumption - ad hoc questionnaire) Baseline, week 8 Assessed using a quantity-frequency survey on smoking and alcohol consumption adapted from previous epidemiological studies
Anthropometry (body weight in kilograms) Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will assess participants' body weight in kilograms. Weight and height will be combined to report Body Mass Index (BMI) in kg/m2.
Anthropometry (body height in meters) Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will assess participants' body height in meters. Weight and height will be combined to report Body Mass Index (BMI) in kg/m2.
Anthropometry (waist circumference in meters) Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will assess participants' waist circumference in meters.
Anthropometry (hip circumference in meters) Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will assess participants' hip circumference in meters.
Anthropometry (self-reported height in kilograms and weight in meters) week 4 Self-reported height (kilograms) and weight (meters) via online survey. Weight and height will be combined to report Body Mass Index (BMI) in kg/m2.
Resting blood pressure in mmHg Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will assess diastolic and systolic blood pressure (mmHg) using an automated blood pressure monitor (Dinamap - Carescape V100, GE Pacific).
Health behaviours (diet quality 1 - Singapore diet screener) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Assessed using a 37-item diet screener developed and validated in Singapore
Health behaviours (diet quality 2 - ad hoc Food Frequency Questionnaire) Baseline, week 4, week 8 Modified 7-item food frequency questionnaire (ad hoc) assessing diet quality
Blood metabolic profile (mmol/L concentration of TC, HDL, TG and LDL-calculated) Baseline, week 8 During study visits research staff will collect a non-fasting venous blood sample to assess the following blood markers: TC, HDL, TG and LDL-calculated. All measured as millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
Trial Locations
- Locations (2)
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
🇸🇬Singapore, Singapore
Singapore ETH Center
🇸🇬Singapore, Singapore