Understanding Mechanisms of Exercise Behavior Change

This research seeks to examine psychological factors that may impact relationship between incentives and health behavior engagement, specifically physical activity. Additionally, it will compare the impact of two different incentive schedules on behavior engagement, one providing immediate rewards (i.e. rewards received on a daily basis) and another providing delayed rewards (i.e. rewards received at the end of the study period), with an active self-monitoring intervention condition in which no rewards are offered. Study participants will provide reports of their physical activity each day for three weeks, and in the two incentive conditions, they will receive small monetary rewards for their physical activity. Following the three week reporting and reward period, participants will complete two additional assessments, measuring psychological constructs and behavior engagement following the cessation of rewards. The study will also examine how cognitive and anthropomorphic factors may contribute to intervention response and the effects on psychological constructs.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Physical Activity; Overweight and Obesity; Incentives
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: self-monitoring; Behavioral: daily incentives; Behavioral: delayed lump sum incentives

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 68
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Colorado
    • Boulder, Colorado, United States, 80309
      • University of Colorado Boulder

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Complete less than 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity weekly
• Daily access to the internet for 3 weeks following baseline research visit
• Have or are willing to create an account on PayPal
• Willing to wear a heart rate monitor watch during physical activity for 3 weeks
• BMI greater than or equal to 25, from self-reported height and weight

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Self-Monitoring; Participants self-monitor their physical activity	Behavioral: self-monitoring; self-monitoring of physical activity
Experimental: Daily Incentives; daily payments for physical activity	Behavioral: self-monitoring; self-monitoring of physical activity; Behavioral: daily incentives; daily incentive payments for physical activity
Experimental: Delayed Lump Sum Incentives; lump sum payments for physical activity	Behavioral: self-monitoring; self-monitoring of physical activity; Behavioral: delayed lump sum incentives; delayed lump sum payments for physical activity

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Moderate-vigorous physical activity minutes	summed minutes of weekly moderate intensity physical activity & vigorous intensity physical activity	Week 3
Self-Efficacy for physical activity	8-item self-report scale measuring self-efficacy (Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura, 1977; also called "perceived behavioral control", Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 8 items, scored 1-7 with higher scores indicative of greater self-efficacy	Week 3
Moderate-vigorous physical activity minutes	summed minutes of weekly moderate intensity physical activity & vigorous intensity physical activity	Week 5
Self-Efficacy for physical activity	8-item self-report scale measuring self-efficacy (Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura, 1977; also called "perceived behavioral control", Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 8 items, scored 1-7 with higher scores indicative of greater self-efficacy	Week 5
Attitudes toward physical activity	12-item self-report scale (Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 12 items scored from -5 to +5, with higher scores indicative of more positive attitudes	Week 3
Attitudes toward physical activity	12-item self-report scale (Theory of Planned Behavior, Ajzen, 1985); scores are a mean of 12 items scored from -5 to +5, with higher scores indicative of more positive attitudes	Week 5

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Colorado, Boulder

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 26, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): July 11, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 28, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): March 14, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 19, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 18, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; exercise; obesity; overweight
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 18-0008

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

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

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No