mActive: A Blinded, Randomized mHealth Activity Trial

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Physical Activity

In brief

Despite their importance, health-related behaviors are hard to change. Among behaviors, physical activity is associated with protection from multiple diseases. People who are physically active have lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers with associated dose-dependent reductions in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. However, most US adults do not meet CDC physical activity guidelines. Sedentary work behavior in industrialized nations is likely a contributor to this problem. Current low-technology strategies for encouraging lifestyle change are disappointingly ineffective and are highly resource intensive. Systematic reviews of the literature show mixed evidence for using activity trackers (i.e., pedometers) and a limited body of evidence for text messaging in preventive health care. However, prior studies have not integrated digital activity tracking with mobile phone text messaging feedback. Given 91% of adults in the United States now use a mobile phone, and 56% a smartphone, this represents a potentially widely applicable avenue for therapeutic intervention. There is growing interest in leveraging mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve health behaviors in the general population. The investigators propose to conduct a blinded, randomized mHealth trial of digital activity tracking and smart texting to promote physical activity.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01917812

Run by

Johns Hopkins University

People needed

48

Starts

2014-01-01

Expected to finish

2014-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2017-03-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 69. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Presenting to cardiology clinic
• Aged 18-69 years
• User of a compatible smartphone

You may not qualify if…

• Already using an activity tracker
• Preferred form of activity is not measured by an activity tracker(swimming, yoga, ice skating, stair master, or activities on wheels such as bicycling or rollerblading)
• Prohibited from normal activity due to wheelchair bound status, bed bound status, reliance on a cane/walker, activity-limiting pulmonary disease, activity-limiting angina, activity-limiting osteoarthritis, or other condition.
• 3 days or more of moderate or vigorous activity during leisure time for 30 minutes of more per day by International Physical Activity Questionnaire

Where it is running

• Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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