The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
13 de octubre de 2014 actualizado por: University of Pennsylvania
The overall objective of this research is to collect data for understanding whether messages in online environments impact fitness attitudes and behaviors.
In particular, the study aims to experimentally examine what features of online social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - impact offline fitness measures (such fitness workshop enrollment and self-reported physical activity level).
The study partners with an existing fitness program at a large northeastern university, which provides a 13-week fitness program for graduate and professional students at the university.
The program begins with a university-run eligibility assessment of specific fitness measures for all participants, who win prizes for improvements in program participation and health behavior outcomes.
The fitness program consists of semester-long series of workshops offered through the university's recreation department.
The randomized trial constructs an online social media platform for the fitness program that provides a way to send either promotion health messages or messages about peer activities to the online community.
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Terminado
Condiciones
Descripción detallada
Sedentary lifestyle among university students and young adults has become a global epidemic. Widespread use of social media is both a contributing factor, and a potential solution; however the cost-effective use of social media to promote fitness on college campuses is poorly understood. This study aims to identify what features of social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - can increase physical activity levels.
In this randomized controlled trial, participants are randomized to three conditions: basic online program for enrolling in university-run weekly fitness workshops, media condition that supplements the basic program with promotional media messages, and a social condition that replaces the media content with a network of peers. Participants are limited to graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.
Tipo de estudio
Intervencionista
Inscripción (Actual)
217
Fase
- No aplica
Criterios de participación
Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Niño
- Adulto
- Adulto Mayor
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
Sí
Géneros elegibles para el estudio
Todos
Descripción
Inclusion Criteria:
- Graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.
- Logging in to the study website at least once after online registration
Exclusion Criteria:
- Inability to perform physical activities (e.g., broken limbs), and underlying diseases that were likely to affect participant safety. Ineligibility is determined by the Department of Recreation and Health Services at the university.
Plan de estudios
Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Ciencia básica
- Asignación: Aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
- Enmascaramiento: Doble
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
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Comparador activo: Basic fitness program
The control condition provides study participants with online tools for enrolling in offline fitness workshops offered by the university's recreation department and recording their progress in the program.
All fitness workshops are pre-programmed in an online calendar.
Upon clicking a workshop, participants can read a detailed description and register for it directly on the calendar.
The registration then triggers a confirmation email sent to the participant immediately and a reminder email 12 hours before the workshop starts.
In addition, an online tracking tool is built that participants can use to keep a daily journal of their health activities and fitness status.
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Participants can register workshops online and track program participation.
Otros nombres:
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Experimental: Media-assisted fitness program
The media condition evaluates the effects of informational and motivational messages on physical activity by supplementing the basic program tools with promotional media, including: "high arousal" videos encouraging physical activity, real-time email notifications about upcoming fitness workshops, and informational graphics with exercise tips and motivational messages.
In the media condition, participants receive two videos on the website and one informational graphic that encourage physical activity on a weekly basis.
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Participants can register workshops online, track program participation, and receive promotional health messages online.
Otros nombres:
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Experimental: Social network-assisted fitness program
The social condition, by contrast, omits the media content.
Instead, the basic program is supplemented with a network of four to six anonymous "health peers," composed of other participants of the program.
Within the program website, each participant is able to see their peers' basic profile information, as well as information about their peers' progress in the program, and real-time notifications about their peers' completion of program activities.
These networks do not provide any added incentives or additional content to promote physical activity, nor can participants directly communicate with, or "message" their peers through the website.
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Participants can register workshops online and track program participation.
Participants are put into anonymous online social networks and receive real-time activity updates from 4-6 peers.
Otros nombres:
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
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Fitness workshop enrollment
Periodo de tiempo: Up to 3 months
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Participants' enrollment in fitness workshops is recorded when participants digitally confirm their workshop registration.
Workshop instructors confirm the attendance of enrolled participants.
Enrollment is assessed up to 3 months from date of randomization.
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Up to 3 months
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Medidas de resultado secundarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Change from baseline in participants' self-reported physical activity level
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline and 3 months
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At the baseline and post-program (3 months) online surveys, participants answer the question: "On how many of the past 7 days did you participate in physical activity for at least 30 minutes that did not make you sweat or breathe hard, such as fast walking, slow bicycling, and skating?"
Responses to the question range from 0 to 7.
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Baseline and 3 months
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.
Patrocinador
Investigadores
- Investigador principal: Damon M. Centola, Ph.D, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Publicaciones y enlaces útiles
La persona responsable de ingresar información sobre el estudio proporciona voluntariamente estas publicaciones. Estos pueden ser sobre cualquier cosa relacionada con el estudio.
Publicaciones Generales
- Valle CG, Tate DF, Mayer DK, Allicock M, Cai J. A randomized trial of a Facebook-based physical activity intervention for young adult cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2013 Sep;7(3):355-68. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0279-5. Epub 2013 Mar 27.
- Bennett GG, Glasgow RE. The delivery of public health interventions via the Internet: actualizing their potential. Annu Rev Public Health. 2009;30:273-92. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.031308.100235.
- Cavallo DN, Tate DF, Ries AV, Brown JD, DeVellis RF, Ammerman AS. A social media-based physical activity intervention: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Nov;43(5):527-32. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.07.019.
- Cobb NK, Graham AL. Health behavior interventions in the age of facebook. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Nov;43(5):571-2. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.08.001. No abstract available.
- Eysenbach G, Powell J, Englesakis M, Rizo C, Stern A. Health related virtual communities and electronic support groups: systematic review of the effects of online peer to peer interactions. BMJ. 2004 May 15;328(7449):1166. doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7449.1166.
- Centola D. The spread of behavior in an online social network experiment. Science. 2010 Sep 3;329(5996):1194-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1185231.
- Centola D. An experimental study of homophily in the adoption of health behavior. Science. 2011 Dec 2;334(6060):1269-72. doi: 10.1126/science.1207055.
- Korda H, Itani Z. Harnessing social media for health promotion and behavior change. Health Promot Pract. 2013 Jan;14(1):15-23. doi: 10.1177/1524839911405850. Epub 2011 May 10.
- Strecher V. Internet methods for delivering behavioral and health-related interventions (eHealth). Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2007;3:53-76. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091428.
- Zhang J, Brackbill D, Yang S, Centola D. Efficacy and causal mechanism of an online social media intervention to increase physical activity: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Prev Med Rep. 2015 Aug 13;2:651-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.08.005. eCollection 2015.
Fechas de registro del estudio
Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio
1 de enero de 2014
Finalización primaria (Actual)
1 de mayo de 2014
Finalización del estudio (Actual)
1 de mayo de 2014
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
7 de octubre de 2014
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
13 de octubre de 2014
Publicado por primera vez (Estimar)
17 de octubre de 2014
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Estimar)
17 de octubre de 2014
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
13 de octubre de 2014
Última verificación
1 de octubre de 2014
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Palabras clave
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- 819455
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