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The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT02267369 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 217

Last updated 2014-10-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

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.

Conditions

  • Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Media-assisted fitness program

Participants can register workshops online, track program participation, and receive promotional health messages online.

BEHAVIORAL

Social network-assisted fitness program

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.

BEHAVIORAL

Basic fitness program

Participants can register workshops online and track program participation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Damon M. Centola, Ph.D · Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-01-31
Primary Completion
2014-05-31
Completion
2014-05-31

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02267369 on ClinicalTrials.gov