Structuring Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity

October 2, 2019 updated by: Prof Ho Teck Hua, National University of Singapore

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of different structures of long term financial incentives on increasing physical activity performed by subjects, as measured by the number of steps walked per day.

Investigators are interested in studying whether physical activity increases during an intervention period (with incentives) and a post-intervention period (with no incentives).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The proposed study is a field experiment. Adults within the ages of 25 and 60 years of age, and with a body mass index of 22 or higher will be eligible to participate.

The study will consist of (1) a two-week baseline period, (2) a 36-week intervention period, and (3) a 12-week follow-up period.

At the beginning of the study, subjects will be given a wearable fitness device and their daily step count will be monitored for two weeks; this is the baseline period. After the two-week baseline period, the subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the five different conditions (Control, Gain, Loss, Gain Streak, or Loss Streak) and will be given the goal to increase their baseline step counts by 2,500 steps.

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HYPOTHESES -- Investigators expect the following:

  1. Loss Aversion: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain treatment.
  2. Streak: Subjects in the Gain treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain Streak treatment.
  3. Loss Streak: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Loss Streak treatment. Whether subjects in the Loss Streak treatment will perform better or worse than subjects in the other two treatments will be investigated.

CONTRIBUTION -- Prior research has not examined the effect of a long term financial incentive (36 weeks) on individual behavior in achieving a goal. In this study, the investigators also examine two additional financial incentive structures: Gain Streak and Loss Streak. If the hypotheses are correct, the results have important implications for designing financial incentives to encourage good behavior and to encourage good habit formation across domains.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
620

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Singapore
      • Singapore, Singapore, 119077
        • National University of Singapore

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Singapore citizens and permanent residents
  • Adults with BMI greater than 22
  • Ownership of a smartphone or tablet
  • Only one member per household can participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women who are pregnant or breast feeding, or who intend to become pregnant over next year
  • Subjects who are already participating in another physical activity program or study
  • Subjects who are unable to participate for a total of 1 year
  • Subjects who are unwilling to wear the fitness device
  • Subjects who already walk more than 10,000 steps a day (self-reported per-day-average over seven days)

  • Subjects who have any of the following health conditions:

    • high blood pressure
    • high cholesterol
    • heart attack
    • heart failure
    • stroke
    • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
    • kidney disease
    • diabetes (type 2)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control
Subjects in the Control treatment are not given any financial incentive to achieve the goal.
Experimental: Gain Treatment
Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain treatment will earn a certain amount of money for each day the goal is achieved. The money earned will be added to a virtual account that the subject has, and will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period.
Behavioral: Financial Incentive
Giving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity
Experimental: Loss Treatment
Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. For each day that the subject does not achieve the goal, a small portion of that money will be deducted from the virtual account. The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period.
Behavioral: Financial Incentive
Giving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity
Experimental: Gain Streak Treatment
Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain Streak treatment get an increasing amount of money added to his/her virtual account for every continuous day that they achieve the goal. The maximum cumulative amount per week is same as in the other treatment conditions. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or if the subject misses the goal on any day. The money in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period.
Behavioral: Financial Incentive
Giving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity
Experimental: Loss Streak Treatment
Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss Streak treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. An increasing amount of money will be deducted for each consecutive day the subject does not achieve the goal. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or when the subject achieves the goal (i.e., deductions are reset when the streak is broken). The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period.
Behavioral: Financial Incentive
Giving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Step count goal -- Intervention
Time Frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Proportion of participant-days on which the goal (baseline +2,500 steps) was achieved during the intervention period.
36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Intervention
Time Frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Change in mean daily steps during the intervention period.
36-week intervention period following the baseline period.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Step count goal -- Post-intervention
Time Frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Proportion of participant-days on which the goal (baseline +2,500 steps) was achieved during the post-intervention period.
12-week post-intervention period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Post-intervention
Time Frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Change in mean daily steps during the post-intervention period.
12-week post-intervention period.
Sleep Pattern -- Intervention
Time Frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Changes in sleep pattern (deep sleep, hours of continuous sleep) during the intervention period.
36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Sleep Pattern -- Post-intervention
Time Frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Changes in sleep pattern (deep sleep, hours of continuous sleep) during the post-intervention period.
12-week post-intervention period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Intervention
Time Frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Drop in weight from baseline to the end of the intervention period.
36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Post-intervention
Time Frame: 48-week period following the baseline period.
Drop in weight from baseline to the end of the post-intervention period.
48-week period following the baseline period.
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Intervention
Time Frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period
Change in waist measurements from baseline to the end of the intervention period.
36-week intervention period following the baseline period
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Post-intervention
Time Frame: 48-week period following the baseline period.
Change in waist measurements from baseline to the end of the post-intervention period.
48-week period following the baseline period.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National University of Singapore

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Teck H Ho, PhD, National University of Singapore

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 9, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 17, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 26, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 3, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 9, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 4, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 2, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SG-STEP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Investigators will not be storing or sharing any personal identifiers. All individual level data will be anonymized, and only anonymized data will be shared with other researchers, upon request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

After completion of all analysis. It will be made available in the supporting documentation.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

It will be made available in the supporting documentation.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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