Text Messages and Physical Activity Among Teens

TXT Me: Texting Motivational Messages Encouraging Adolescent Physical Activity

The purpose of this study is to assess whether text messages can be used as a way to increase the amount of physical activity teens get each day.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: TXT Me

Detailed Description

This research will develop an innovative intervention that promotes physical activity to 14-17 year olds (roughly high school aged youth). It is guided by Self Determination Theory and seeks to enhance adolescents' feelings of physical activity autonomy, competence, and relatedness, key psychological needs related to motivation to be physically active. The physical activity to be promoted is walking, which has broad appeal and can be performed as part of usual-day activities. Since youth are heavy users of cell phones and texting, the intervention will send theoretically-grounded text messages designed to enhance physical activity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 160
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Baylor College of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 14-17 years old
• access to a computer with high speed internet access
• home email address
• cell phone that can send/receive text messages
• text message plan
• fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• mental or physical limitations that impair ability to fully participate in the program and/or complete baseline and post assessment data collection.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: pedometers only; Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers only. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.	Behavioral: TXT Me; text messages, physical activity, self determination theory, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, pedometers, walking, prompts
Experimental: pedometers + prompts; Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers plus a weekly prompt to set a step goal. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.	Behavioral: TXT Me; text messages, physical activity, self determination theory, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, pedometers, walking, prompts
Experimental: pedometer + prompt + messages; Participants randomized to this arm will receive pedometers, weekly prompts, and 6 motivational text messages a week. They will participate in baseline and 3 months data collection.	Behavioral: TXT Me; text messages, physical activity, self determination theory, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, pedometers, walking, prompts
No Intervention: Control; Participants randomized to this group will participate in data collection only; they will not receive an intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
physical activity	physical activity will be assessed for 7 days at each data collection period; accelerometers will be used to assess physical activity amount and intensity	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychological need satisfaction in exercise	This scale will be used to assess psychological needs related to exercise - autonomy, relatedness, and competence	3 months
Behavioral Regulation in Exercise	This scale will be used to assess motivation for exercise	3 months
Satisfaction	Satisfaction with the study will be assessed using standard questions	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
• Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Deborah Thompson, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Thompson D, Cantu D, Ramirez B, Cullen KW, Baranowski T, Mendoza J, Anderson B, Jago R, Rodgers W, Liu Y. Texting to Increase Adolescent Physical Activity: Feasibility Assessment. Am J Health Behav. 2016 Jul;40(4):472-83. doi: 10.5993/AJHB.40.4.9.
• Thompson D, Cantu D, Bhatt R, Baranowski T, Rodgers W, Jago R, Anderson B, Liu Y, Mendoza JA, Tapia R, Buday R. Texting to Increase Physical Activity Among Teenagers (TXT Me!): Rationale, Design, and Methods Proposal. JMIR Res Protoc. 2014 Mar 12;3(1):e14. doi: 10.2196/resprot.3074.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 28, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 29, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): November 30, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 20, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 18, 2016
• Last Verified: January 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; exercise; walking; text messages; motivation; prompts; goal setting; pedometers; intrinsic motivation; extrinsic motivation; self determination theory
• Other Study ID Numbers: H-27537; R21HD066305 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)