The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
13 de outubro de 2014 atualizado 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.
Visão geral do estudo
Status
Concluído
Condições
Descrição detalhada
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 estudo
Intervencional
Inscrição (Real)
217
Estágio
- Não aplicável
Critérios de participação
Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.
Critérios de elegibilidade
Idades elegíveis para estudo
- Filho
- Adulto
- Adulto mais velho
Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis
Sim
Gêneros Elegíveis para o Estudo
Tudo
Descrição
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.
Plano de estudo
Esta seção fornece detalhes do plano de estudo, incluindo como o estudo é projetado e o que o estudo está medindo.
Como o estudo é projetado?
Detalhes do projeto
- Finalidade Principal: Ciência básica
- Alocação: Randomizado
- Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
- Mascaramento: Dobro
Armas e Intervenções
Grupo de Participantes / Braço |
Intervenção / Tratamento |
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Comparador Ativo: 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.
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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.
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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.
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O que o estudo está medindo?
Medidas de resultados primários
Medida de resultado |
Descrição da medida |
Prazo |
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Fitness workshop enrollment
Prazo: 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 resultados secundários
Medida de resultado |
Descrição da medida |
Prazo |
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Change from baseline in participants' self-reported physical activity level
Prazo: 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
É aqui que você encontrará pessoas e organizações envolvidas com este estudo.
Patrocinador
Investigadores
- Investigador principal: Damon M. Centola, Ph.D, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Publicações e links úteis
A pessoa responsável por inserir informações sobre o estudo fornece voluntariamente essas publicações. Estes podem ser sobre qualquer coisa relacionada ao estudo.
Publicações Gerais
- 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.
Datas de registro do estudo
Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.
Datas Principais do Estudo
Início do estudo
1 de janeiro de 2014
Conclusão Primária (Real)
1 de maio de 2014
Conclusão do estudo (Real)
1 de maio de 2014
Datas de inscrição no estudo
Enviado pela primeira vez
7 de outubro de 2014
Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ
13 de outubro de 2014
Primeira postagem (Estimativa)
17 de outubro de 2014
Atualizações de registro de estudo
Última Atualização Postada (Estimativa)
17 de outubro de 2014
Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade
13 de outubro de 2014
Última verificação
1 de outubro de 2014
Mais Informações
Termos relacionados a este estudo
Palavras-chave
Outros números de identificação do estudo
- 819455
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