The Physical Activity Loyalty Card Scheme (PAL)

April 10, 2012 updated by: Prof Frank Kee, Queen's University, Belfast

The Physical Activity Loyalty Card Scheme: A Randomised Controlled Trial to Encourage Physical Activity

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using incentives to encourage adults to be physically active.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The investigators developed the Physical Activity Loyalty Card (PAL) Scheme which integrates a novel physical activity tracking system with web-based monitoring and nudge initiatives. The tracking system used Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology and a "loyalty card" (PAL Card) which contained a passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. Sensors were placed along footpaths in the outdoor environment, in the gym and exercise studio, and participants scanned their PAL card at the sensor when doing physical activity (e.g. walking). A transaction (card ID, sensor ID, and timestamp) was recorded and sent via SMS to a secure data centre. Participants logged onto a personal account on the study website (www.palcard.co.uk) and received real-time feedback on various aspects of their physical activity including minutes, distance and calories expended.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

406

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

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

  • United Kingdom
    • Antrim
      • Belfast, Antrim, United Kingdom, BT12 6BJ
        • Queen's University Belfast

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • males and females
  • aged 18-65 years old
  • able to complete 15 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity
  • based at least 4 days per week (and 6 hours per day) at worksite

Exclusion Criteria:

  • advised by General Practitioner not to participate in exercise

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

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Incentive
Participants use their PAL card to self-monitor physical activity levels (intrinsic motivation) and minutes of physical activity were converted to points (1 minute of physical activity = 1 point; capped at 30 points per day) over the 12-week intervention period. Points are redeemed for rewards (extrinsic motivation) at week 6 and week 12.
Behavioral: Non-cash incentives
Participants used their PAL card to self-monitor physical activity levels (intrinsic motivation) and minutes of physical activity were converted to points (1 minute of PA = 1 point; capped at 30 points per day) over the 12-week intervention period. Points were redeemed for rewards (extrinsic motivation) at week 6 and week 12.
Active Comparator: No Incentive
Participants used their PAL card to self-monitor their physical activity levels (intrinsic motivation) over the 12-week intervention period but do not collect points or earn rewards.
Behavioral: Self-monitoring physical activity levels
For those in the 'No Incentive' arm, participants used their PAL card to self-monitor their physical activity levels but did not collect points or earn rewards.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical activity
Time Frame: baseline, week 12 and 6 months
change in moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ); MVPA using an objective physical activity measure (physical activity tracking system)
baseline, week 12 and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SF-8
Time Frame: baseline, week 12 and 6 months
health
baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Euroqol 5D
Time Frame: baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Quality of life
baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Scale
Time Frame: baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Physical activity self-efficacy
baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Work absenteeism
Time Frame: baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Number of sick days from work
baseline, week 12 and 6 months
Exit questionnaire
Time Frame: week 12
Participant satisfaction with study involvement
week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Queen's University, Belfast

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Frank Kee, Queen's University, Belfast

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

March 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 10, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

April 11, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 11, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2012

Last Verified

April 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PAL-v1

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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