Text-Messaging to Motivate Walking in Older African Americans

September 27, 2012 updated by: Georgetown University

An Motivational Text Messaging Walking Program for Older African Americans

This study examined the impact of using a motivational mobile text messaging intervention to increase step count among older community-dwelling African Americans. Secondary aims were to study the effects of text messaging on self-reported leisure time exercise behavior.

Hypothesis:

Participants in the motivational mobile text messaging group will have an increase step count after 6-weeks.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Older minority populations can benefit from increased physical activity, especially walking. Text messaging interventions have the potential to encourage positive changes in health behavior in these groups.

Purpose: To examine if a six week program of motivational text messaging increases physical activity (step count) among older African Americans in an urban setting.

Design: Randomized, controlled trial pilot study with assignment to motivational text messaging group or a control group.

Setting/Participants: Thirty-six African Americans aged 60 to 85.

Intervention: The intervention group received motivational text messages three times a day, three days a week, for six weeks. Both groups received pedometers and walking manuals to record step counts. Study was conducted and analyzed in 2011.

Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measure was step count. Secondary outcome measure was perceived activity levels assessed by the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ).

Results/Conclusion: In press - American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Jan 2013)

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • 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

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania

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

60 years to 85 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • African American community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 85 who were recruited from senior centers.
  • had to be healthy (no restrictions and medical clearance to walk)
  • had to have a mobile phone with text messaging capability

Exclusion Criteria:

  • (a) any physical, psychological illness, or medical problems that restricted them from walking; (b) did not own a mobile phone with text messaging capability; or (c) were not willing or able to follow study procedures.

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
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Intervention Group
Motivational text messaging
Behavioral: Motivational text messaging
Motivational text messaging was given for participants in the intervention group - 3 times a day, 3 times a week, for 6 weeks
NO_INTERVENTION: Control Group
Step count

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Primary outcome measure was step count
Time Frame: 6-weeks
Motivational text messaging led to greater improvements in step count (+679 vs. +398; P < .05)
6-weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Secondary outcome measure was perceived activity levels assessed by the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ).
Time Frame: 6-weeks
Motivational text messaging led to greater improvements perceived activity levels (P < .05) than the group who did not receive any text messages.
6-weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Georgetown University

Collaborators

University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bang Kim, PhD, Georgetown University
  • Study Director: Karen Glanz, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

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

October 1, 2010

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

July 1, 2011

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

August 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 27, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 27, 2012

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

October 2, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

October 2, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 27, 2012

Last Verified

September 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AJPM 12-0206-126R

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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