Improving Mental Health in Youth and Lowering Risk for Obesity Through a Digital Preventative Product

May 17, 2023 updated by: Ksana Health

The goal of this study is to test the feasibility and utilization of a redesigned mobile app and health coaching platform (Vira) in youth (aged 18-25 years) with elevated depressive symptoms who are overweight/obese and/or self-report parental history of overweight/obesity.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will use the Vira mobile app intervention with support from a health coach, and the other group will use the Vira mobile app intervention without coaching. Both groups will use the app for 12 weeks.

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 primary aim of this project is to examine the feasibility and utilization of a redesigned mobile app and health coaching platform (Vira) in a 2 x 2 (gender x condition) designed pilot study in a sample of 100 youth (18-25 years old) with (1) elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-8 score ≥10) and (2) overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25 and/or reporting a parental history of overweight/obesity). The study will examine the feasibility and utilization of the mobile app intervention with coaching compared to that of the mobile app intervention without coaching.

This is an exploratory pilot study; therefore, no formal sample size calculation was conducted. It is anticipated that 1,000 individuals will be screened, of which 20% will be eligible, and that 50% of those eligible will agree to participate (final N = 100, 50 per arm).

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.
73

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Oregon
      • Eugene, Oregon, United States, 97401
        • Ksana Health

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

18 years to 25 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-25
  • Live in the United States
  • English fluency and literacy
  • Have access to an Android or iOS device
  • Elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-8 score of 10 or above)
  • Overweight (BMI of 25 or above) OR reporting a parental history of overweight or obesity

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous participation in this study
  • Major mental or physical illness that will interfere with completing intervention and/or assessment activities.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: Vira Self-Care

The Vira app is installed on the participant's phone. The app passively collects data from phone sensors (i.e., measures of physical activity, sleep patterns, mobility, and language patterns reflecting mood states and cognition) that are indicative of risk-relevant behavioral patterns and psychological states. It also so prompts users to answer a daily check in question. Mobile sensing data are processed to provide an automated assessment of the user's functioning. Users will be asked to use Vira for 12 weeks.

The Vira app can be used as a standalone product. After an initial 10-day period, during which the app assesses the relationship between the user's patterns of behavior and their day-to-day variations in mental health and wellbeing using passive mobile sensing, the user is able to access a personalized behavior change goal that is support by in app information and functionality.
Behavioral: Vira mobile app intervention
The Vira app is installed on the participant's phone. The app passively collects data from phone sensors (i.e., measures of physical activity, sleep patterns, mobility, and language patterns reflecting mood states and cognition) that are indicative of risk-relevant behavioral patterns and psychological states. It also so prompts users to answer a daily check in question. Mobile sensing data are processed to provide an automated assessment of the user's functioning. Users will be asked to use Vira for 12 weeks.
Experimental: Vira + Coaching
The Vira app can also be supported by a health coach. The health coach interacts with the user (via an instant messaging platform) and who also schedules just-in-time reminders (i.e., "nudges") to arrive in the user's phone at scheduled times to support their behavior change plan. The Vira Health Coach Platform therefore integrates mobile sensing, self-report assessment, and just-in-time nudges and notifications into the coach's workflow.
Behavioral: Vira mobile app intervention + coaching
The Vira app can also be supported by a health coach. The health coach interacts with the user (via an instant messaging platform) and who also schedules just-in-time reminders (i.e., "nudges") to arrive in the user's phone at scheduled times to support their behavior change plan. The Vira Health Coach Platform therefore integrates mobile sensing, self-report assessment, and just-in-time nudges and notifications into the coach's workflow.

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
Change in depressive symptoms
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Pre- to post-intervention changes in depressive symptoms will be assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) an 8-item participant-report measure for screening for depression and for establishing depression severity. The total score ranges from 0-24, with a higher score indicating greater depression symptom severity.
12 weeks
Number of active days in the Vira mobile app intervention and health coaching platform
Time Frame: 12 weeks
To measure feasibility of implementation, the total number of active days using Vira during the study will be objectively collected via the Vira platform.
12 weeks
Number of features used
Time Frame: 12 weeks
To measure feasibility of implementation, the total number of features used during the study will be objectively collected via the Vira platform.
12 weeks
Acceptability of the mobile app intervention
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Acceptability of the mobile app intervention and health coaching platform will be assessed using 11 items adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model. Scores range from 11 to 77, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
12 weeks

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.
Ksana Health

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.
Novo Nordisk A/S

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: Nick Allen, PhD, Ksana Health

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.
November 7, 2022

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.
May 6, 2023

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.
May 6, 2023

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).
November 23, 2022

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.
December 2, 2022

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.
December 6, 2022

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.
May 18, 2023

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.
May 17, 2023

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.
May 1, 2023

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.
  • OV-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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