Understanding Mechanisms of Exercise Behavior Change

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Overweight and Obesity; Physical Activity; Incentives
• Interventions: Behavioral: self-monitoring; Behavioral: daily incentives; Behavioral: delayed lump sum incentives

• Registration Number: NCT03465800
• Lead Sponsor: University of Colorado, Boulder

Brief Summary

This research seeks to examine psychological factors that may impact relationship between incentives and health behavior engagement, specifically physical activity. Additionally, it will compare the impact of two different incentive schedules on behavior engagement, one providing immediate rewards (i.e. rewards received on a daily basis) and another providing delayed rewards (i.e. rewards received at the end of the study period), with an active self-monitoring intervention condition in which no rewards are offered. Study participants will provide reports of their physical activity each day for three weeks, and in the two incentive conditions, they will receive small monetary rewards for their physical activity. Following the three week reporting and reward period, participants will complete two additional assessments, measuring psychological constructs and behavior engagement following the cessation of rewards. The study will also examine how cognitive and anthropomorphic factors may contribute to intervention response and the effects on psychological constructs.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-02-26
• Study First Submitted: 2018-02-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-03-13
• Study First Posted: 2018-03-14
• Primary Completion: 2018-06-30
• Study Completion: 2018-07-11
• Status Verified: 2018-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-10-18
• Last Update Posted: 2018-10-19

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 68

Inclusion Criteria

• Complete less than 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity weekly
• Daily access to the internet for 3 weeks following baseline research visit
• Have or are willing to create an account on PayPal
• Willing to wear a heart rate monitor watch during physical activity for 3 weeks
• BMI greater than or equal to 25, from self-reported height and weight

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Daily Incentives	self-monitoring	daily payments for physical activity
Daily Incentives	daily incentives	daily payments for physical activity
Delayed Lump Sum Incentives	self-monitoring	lump sum payments for physical activity
Self-Monitoring	self-monitoring	Participants self-monitor their physical activity
Delayed Lump Sum Incentives	delayed lump sum incentives	lump sum payments for physical activity

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Moderate-vigorous physical activity minutes	Week 5	summed minutes of weekly moderate intensity physical activity \& vigorous intensity physical activity
Self-Efficacy for physical activity	Week 5	8-item self-report scale measuring self-efficacy (Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura, 1977; also called "perceived behavioral control", Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 8 items, scored 1-7 with higher scores indicative of greater self-efficacy
Attitudes toward physical activity	Week 5	12-item self-report scale (Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 12 items scored from -5 to +5, with higher scores indicative of more positive attitudes

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Colorado Boulder; 🇺🇸 Boulder, Colorado, United States