Social Goals and Individual Incentives to Promote Walking in Older Adults - Full Text View

Purpose

The goal of this randomized and controlled trial is to test whether a financial incentive of a donation to achieve a social goal is more effective to motivate and sustain a daily walking habit than the same dollar value given to an older adult. The investigators will achieve this using a novel computer platform utilizing a digital pedometer-internet interface.

Condition	Intervention
Physical Activity	Behavioral: Financial incentive Behavioral: Social Goal Behavioral: Personal financial incentives & social goals Behavioral: daily pedometer use and weekly feedback

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Allocation: Randomized Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Official Title:	Social Goals and Individual Incentives to Promote Walking in Older Adults

Further study details as provided by University of Pennsylvania:

Primary Outcome Measures:

mean proportion of days that step per day goals were attained [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

mean number of steps per day [ Time Frame: 16 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
mean proportion of days that step per day goals were attained during follow-up [ Time Frame: 4 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment:	100
Study Start Date:	July 2012
Estimated Study Completion Date:	March 2013
Estimated Primary Completion Date:	January 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Arms	Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Control Arm Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week. Subjects in the Control Group will only receive pedometers and weekly feedback on their performance through the same mechanisms and with the same frequency as participants in the other three study arms. There will be no financial incentives or charity donations in this group.	Behavioral: daily pedometer use and weekly feedback Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week.
Experimental: Personal Financial Incentives Arm Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week. Each week, if pedometer is used and walking goal is met for 5 out of 7 days, participant will receive $20. Financial incentive is terminated after 4 months. Daily use of pedometer continues for an additional 4 weeks.	Behavioral: Financial incentive Participants will receive a direct financial incentive in the amount of $20 for each week when their daily pedometer step count equals or exceeds their goal at least 5 out of 7 days. Behavioral: daily pedometer use and weekly feedback Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week.
Experimental: Social Goals Arm Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week. Each week participants will be asked to designate which charity should receive a donation if they meet or exceed their goal. If they meet the goal, they will be notified that a donation of $20 in their name has been sent to the charity. Charity donation is terminated after 4 months. Daily use of pedometer continues for an additional 4 weeks.	Behavioral: Social Goal Participants will be asked to identify a charity to which they would like to donate the payment for reaching their walking goal. Each week they will be asked to designate which charity should receive a donation if they meet or exceed their goal. If they meet the goal, they will be notified that a donation of $20 in their name has been sent to the charity. Behavioral: daily pedometer use and weekly feedback Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week.
Experimental: Combined Financial Incentives & Social Goals Arm Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week. Each week, the participant will be asked to choose whether to keep, give, or split the reward, if they meet or exceed their goal. If they choose to send some of the money to charity, they will be asked to identify a charity to which they would like to donate the payment. If they meet their goal, they will receive money and/or be notified that a donation of the selected amount has been sent to the charity, depending on their selected preference. Incentives are terminated after 4 months. Daily use of pedometer continues for an additional 4 weeks.	Behavioral: Personal financial incentives & social goals Participants will be able to allocate their reward for reaching their walking goal: the $20 reward can be divided between personal financial incentive and a charitable donation. Each week, the participant will be asked to choose whether to keep, give, or split the reward, if they meet or exceed their goal. If they choose to send some of the money to charity, they will be asked to identify a charity to which they would like to donate the payment. If they meet their goal, they will be notified by email or mail (based on their preference), that a donation of the selected amount has been sent to the charity. Behavioral: daily pedometer use and weekly feedback Daily use of pedometer for 5 months. Walking goal set based on level of walking during 2 week run-in period. Weekly feedback provided on meeting walking goal - defined as achieving goal number of steps for 5 of 7 days per week.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	65 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Adult 65 years of age and older
Can read and speak English
Access to a personal computer with high-speed internet connection and functional USB port for the study duration
Able to walk 1/4 mile (i.e., 2 to 3 blocks) without stopping
No pedometer use in last 30 days

Exclusion Criteria:

Major medical conditions including:

serious heart and lung diseases
diabetes requiring insulin therapy
severe arthritis
neurologic disorders
dementia
heavy alcohol use
recent knee or spinal surgery

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01643538

Locations

United States, Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of Pennsylvania

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Investigators

Principal Investigator:	Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH	University of Pennsylvania
Principal Investigator:	Jason Karlawish, MD	University of Pennsylvania

More Information

No publications provided

Responsible Party:	University of Pennsylvania
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT01643538 History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers:	69924
Study First Received:	July 16, 2012
Last Updated:	August 7, 2012
Health Authority:	United States: Institutional Review Board

Keywords provided by University of Pennsylvania:

physical activity
adults age 65 and older
financial incentives

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 13, 2013

Social Goals and Individual Incentives to Promote Walking in Older Adults (Way to Walk II)