Mobile-based Online Social Network Intervention to Increase Physical Activity

Summary

Despite the racial disparities in rates of chronic diseases and behaviors linked to chronic diseases, there have been relatively few RCTs of interventions to increase physical activity in African American women. Although some studies found significant improvement on physical activity, most focused on individuals and did not take into consideration the social contexts in which the participants' behaviors occurred. Understanding how online social networks facilitate behavior change can bridge important gaps in the way technology can be used to intervene on health among underserved populations. The primary objective of this study was to test the efficacy of a mobile app (PennFit) intervention in increasing participants' daily active minutes objectively recorded by a fitness tracking device (Fitbit zip). In the control group, participants used the PennFit app to record and monitor their own physical activity progress. In the online social network intervention, participants were randomized to 4-women networks and were able to see and compare their own recorded physical activities with activities of the other three women in their network. Participants in a network had access to an online chatting tool to chat with one another. The secondary objective was to understand the intervention's mechanisms through mediation analysis on theoretical variables.

Conditions

• Sedentary Lifestyle

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

PennFit mobile individual intervention

PennFit (individual) is a mobile app intervention. Participants received a Fitbit physical activity tracking device and an introductory physical activity promotion session emphasizing the health benefits of physical activity and building skills for daily exercises. Participants used the PennFit app (individual) to record and monitor their own physical activity progress.

BEHAVIORAL

PennFit mobile online network intervention

PennFit (online network) is a mobile app intervention. Participants received a Fitbit physical activity tracking device and an introductory physical activity promotion session emphasizing the health benefits of physical activity and building skills for daily exercises. Participants used the PennFit app (online network) to record and monitor their own physical activity progress. They could see both their own information and the profiles and activity logs of the three other women assigned to their network. In addition, they could send messages to the network through an instant chatting tool.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John B Jemmott, PhD · University of Pennsylvania

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-12-31

Primary Completion

2016-05-30

Completion

2017-09-30