Exercise Incentives for YMCA Based Exercise

August 28, 2026 updated by: David M. Williams, Brown University

Empirical Testing of a Widely Available Insurance-based Monetary Incentive Program for Exercise: A Randomized Trial

The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test financial incentive programs (versus control) to promote physical activity among 330 adults who have a YMCA membership. Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to $100 or $200 (depending on the condition they are assigned to) for attending at least 50 sessions at the YMCA over 6 months. Participants will have two 6-month windows during which they will have the opportunity to earn the incentive. In addition to the incentives, participants will complete research assessments every 3 months.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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.

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.
339

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

  • Name: Viveka Ayala-Heredia
  • Phone Number: 401-206-5403

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02912
        • Brown University

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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. A current member, or willing to become a current member of one of the following branches of the YMCA:

    1. Bayside Family YMCA (Barrington, RI)
    2. Cranston YMCA (Cranston, RI)
    3. East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA (Providence, RI)
    4. Kent County YMCA (Warwick, RI)
    5. Newman YMCA (Seekonk, MA)
    6. South County YMCA (South Kingston, RI)
  2. Age 18 years or older
  3. Physically capable of engaging in exercise

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Not a current member, and unwilling to become a member of one of the above listed YMCA branches.
  2. Under age 18.
  3. Physically incapable of exercise
  4. Doctor has recommended that you should not exercise because of a current health condition

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

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: Message 1 - $100
Participants are offered an incentive of $100 to complete 50 exercise sessions at the YMCA within 6 months (Description of incentive 1)
Behavioral: Monetary Incentives
Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.
Experimental: Message 2 - $100
Participants are offered an incentive of $100 to complete 50 exercise sessions at the YMCA within 6 months (Description of incentive 2).
Behavioral: Monetary Incentives
Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.
Experimental: Message 1 - $200
Participants are offered an incentive of $200 to complete 50 exercise sessions at the YMCA within 6 months (Description of incentive 1).
Behavioral: Monetary Incentives
Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.
Experimental: Message 2 - $200
Participants are offered an incentive of $200 to complete 50 exercise sessions at the YMCA within 6 months (Description of incentive 2).
Behavioral: Monetary Incentives
Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.
No Intervention: Control
Participants complete all assessments, and are eligible to receive compensation for participating in the research components of the study.

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 Number of YMCA visits
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months
Number of sessions (max 1 per day) a person signs into the YMCA
Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months

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
Change in Accelerometry
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Minutes of physical activity weighted by intensity, expressed in metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week as determined by accelerometers (Actigraph [model wGT3x-BT]) worn during one-week periods.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Self-report physical activity (Godin)
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Self-reported minutes of leisure time physical activity (inside and outside the YMCA) per week weighted by intensity
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Self-Reported Habit of Physical Activity Questionnaire
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's habits regarding exercise, with a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 7, higher scores indicate a stronger habit.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Anticipated Regret Questionnaire
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's anticipated feelings of remorse if they do not do exercise, or achieve the incentives, on a scale from 1-11, with higher scores indicating more anticipated regret.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Opportunity Questionnaire
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's opportunity to do regular aerobic physical activity, with scores ranging from 1-7, and higher scores indicating more opportunity for physical activity.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Capability Questionnaire
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's physical and psychological capability to do regular aerobic physical activity with scores ranging from 1-7, and higher scores indicating more capability for physical activity.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Exercise Facility Use Questionnaire
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures access and membership to fitness facilities.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Physical Activity Hedonic/Reflective Motivation
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the extent to which a person's motivation for physical activity is rooted in reflective and/or hedonic processes. There are two subscales. The hedonic subscale ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating more hedonic motivation for physical activity. The reflective subscale ranges from 0-10 with higher scores indicating more reflective motivation for physical activity.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Subjective Social Status
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's perception of their subjective social status
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Reward Responsiveness
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the extent to which a person is responsive to external rewards
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Consideration of Future Consequences
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the extent to which a person considers the future (delayed) consequences of their actions
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Delay Discounting
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the extent to which a person discounts future rewards and prioritizes immediate rewards
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Loss Aversion
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the extent to which a person chooses actions in an attempt to avoid experiencing losses
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Overall Health (SF-12 Survey)
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures a person's perception of their overall health and quality of life, scores range from 1-5 with higher scores indicating poorer health outcomes.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Quality of Life and Health Status (EQ-5D-5L)
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
The EQ-5D-5L comprises a short descriptive system questionnaire and a visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) that are cognitively undemanding, taking only a few minutes to complete. The questionnaire provides a simple descriptive profile of a respondent's health state. The EQ VAS provides an alternative way to elicit an individual's rating of their own overall current health. When the descriptive system profile is linked to a 'value set', a single summary index value for health status is derived that can be used in economic evaluations of health-care interventions. A value set provides values (weights) for each health state description according to the preferences of the general population of a country/region. Value sets for the EQ-5D-5L and 3L versions are available in a large and growing number of countries.
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Change in Absenteeism and Presenteeism
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.
Measures the amount of time a person worked and was expected to work in the past 7-28 days; and their perceived job performance when at work
Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.

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.
Brown University

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.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

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: David M Williams, Ph.D., Brown University School of Public Health
  • Principal Investigator: Omar Galarraga, Ph.D., Brown University School of Public Health

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
March 15, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
June 30, 2027

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).
January 9, 2023

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.
January 27, 2023

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.
January 30, 2023

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.
September 1, 2026

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.
August 28, 2026

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.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • R01CA262894 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data will be shared with interested parties after all of the initial study analyses and outcomes have been published.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be available 1 year after study completion.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

All data access requests will be reviewed by a panel prior to acceptance

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

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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