Using Social Incentives and Gamification for Weight Loss Promotion

This is a 36-week, three-arm randomized, controlled trial using a team-based model to compare two weight loss programs to control. Each intervention will use insights from behavioral economics to leverage social incentives and gamification.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Physical Activity; Weight Loss
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Feedback on weight; Behavioral: Feedback on step counts; Behavioral: Gamification; Behavioral: Share Data with PCP

Detailed Description

Obesity is a leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality affecting more than one in three adults in the United States. Modifiable health behaviors contribute to this growing epidemic. Insights from behavioral economics have shown promise for motivating behavior change through the use of financial incentives. However, social incentives or those influences that impact individuals to adjust their inherent behaviors based on social ties and connections have not been well examined. Social incentives are a more patient-centered approach that leverages and enhances the existing connections and influences on the individual. Since one individual's behavior change is connected to many others within their network, social incentives have the potential to be a scalable intervention that impacts the community. Gamification, or the use of game design in non-game situations, is often used in the real world, but its effectiveness is unknown. In this study, investigators will conduct a 36-week, three-arm, randomized, controlled trial using a team-based model to compare two weight loss programs to control. Each intervention will use insights from behavioral economics to leverage social incentives and gamification.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 196
• Phase: Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 to 70 years
• Ability to read and provide informed consent
• Has an iPhone 4 or newer
• Have self-reported body mass index of 30 or greater and in-person body mass index of 28 or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

• Conditions that would make participation infeasible such as inability to provide informed consent, illiteracy or inability to speak, read, and write English
• Conditions that would make participation unsafe such as current treatment for drug or alcohol use, myocardial infarction or stroke within the last 6 months, metastatic cancer, pregnant, breastfeeding or plan to become pregnant during study period, previous diagnosis of an eating disorder, or history of unsafe weight loss practices
• Already enrolled in another weight loss study
• Any other medical conditions or reasons that they could not complete a 36-week weight loss program

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Control; Participants choose a weight loss goal of 6-8% of baseline weight and given access to a wireless weight scale and smartphone application activity tracker to receive feedback on weight and feedback on step counts. They will be given information on the federal and CDC guidelines for physical activity and will also be told that they should strive to achieve 10,000 steps per day to help promote weight loss.	Behavioral: Feedback on weight; Participants will use a wireless weight scale to weigh-in at home and receive feedback on weight.; Behavioral: Feedback on step counts; Participants will use a smartphone application that uses accelerometers within the phone to track step counts and receive feedback on step counts
Experimental: Gamification; Participants choose a weight loss goal of 6-8% of baseline weight and given access to a wireless weight scale and smartphone application activity tracker to receive feedback on weight and feedback on step counts. All participants play a game with their teammate that includes points, levels and the opportunity to win a trophy, plaque or medal. They will advance or not advance based on their progress with weight loss and physical activity through 24 weeks. During the 12-week follow-up they'll be asked to maintain or make progress toward their weight loss goal.	Behavioral: Feedback on weight; Participants will use a wireless weight scale to weigh-in at home and receive feedback on weight.; Behavioral: Feedback on step counts; Participants will use a smartphone application that uses accelerometers within the phone to track step counts and receive feedback on step counts; Behavioral: Gamification; All participants will be entered with their teammate into a game that includes points and levels
Experimental: Gamification + Share Data with PCP; Participants choose a weight loss goal of 6-8% of baseline weight and given access to a wireless weight scale and smartphone application activity tracker to receive feedback on weight and feedback on step counts. Participants will be asked to allow the study team to share their weight and step data with their primary care physician (PCP). All participants play a game with their teammate that includes points, levels and the opportunity to win a trophy, plaque or medal. They will advance or not advance based on their progress with weight loss and physical activity through 24 weeks. During the 12-week follow-up they'll be asked to maintain or make progress toward their weight loss goal.	Behavioral: Feedback on weight; Participants will use a wireless weight scale to weigh-in at home and receive feedback on weight.; Behavioral: Feedback on step counts; Participants will use a smartphone application that uses accelerometers within the phone to track step counts and receive feedback on step counts; Behavioral: Gamification; All participants will be entered with their teammate into a game that includes points and levels; Behavioral: Share Data with PCP; Weight and step count data will be shared with the participant's primary care physician

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in weight in pounds	24-week primary intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in weight in pounds	12-week follow-up period
Physical activity (mean daily steps)	24-week primary intervention period
Physical activity (mean daily steps)	12-week follow-up period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 29, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): September 30, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 21, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 19, 2016
• Last Verified: December 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight Changes; Weight Loss; Body Weight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 823326

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO