Joseph D Harrison1, Jeremy M Jones2, Dylan S Small3, Charles A L Rareshide1, Gregory Szwartz4, David Steier4, James Guszcza4, Pameljit Kalra4, Brian Torio4, Gregory Reh4, Victoria Hilbert1, Mitesh S Patel5. 1. The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States. 2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States. 3. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States. 4. Deloitte Consulting, United States. 5. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; The Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Electronic address: mpatel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Less than half of adults in the United States (US) obtain the recommended level of physical activity. Social incentives, the influences that impact individuals to adjust their behaviors based on social ties or connections, are ubiquitous and could be leveraged within gamification interventions to provide a scalable, low-cost approach to increase engagement. Gamification, or the use of game design in non-game situations, is commonly used in the real world, but in most cases has not appropriately leveraged principles from theories of health behavior. METHODS: We are conducting a four-arm, randomized, controlled trial of 602 overweight and obese adults to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification interventions that leverage insights from behavioral economics to enhance either supportive, competitive, or collaborative social incentives. Daily step counts are monitored using wearable devices that transmit data to the study platform. Participants established a baseline step count, selected a step goal increase, and then were randomly assigned to control or one of three interventions for a 24-week intervention and 12-week follow-up period. To understand predictors of strong or poor performance, we had participants complete validated questionnaires on a range of areas including their personality, risk preferences, social network, and habits relating to physical activity, eating, and sleep. Trial enrollment was conducted in partnership with Deloitte Consulting and included employees from 40 states across the US. CONCLUSION: The STEP UP Trial represents a scalable model and interventions found to be effective could be deployed more broadly to increase physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03311230. Published by Elsevier Inc.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Less than half of adults in the United States (US) obtain the recommended level of physical activity. Social incentives, the influences that impact individuals to adjust their behaviors based on social ties or connections, are ubiquitous and could be leveraged within gamification interventions to provide a scalable, low-cost approach to increase engagement. Gamification, or the use of game design in non-game situations, is commonly used in the real world, but in most cases has not appropriately leveraged principles from theories of health behavior. METHODS: We are conducting a four-arm, randomized, controlled trial of 602 overweight and obese adults to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification interventions that leverage insights from behavioral economics to enhance either supportive, competitive, or collaborative social incentives. Daily step counts are monitored using wearable devices that transmit data to the study platform. Participants established a baseline step count, selected a step goal increase, and then were randomly assigned to control or one of three interventions for a 24-week intervention and 12-week follow-up period. To understand predictors of strong or poor performance, we had participants complete validated questionnaires on a range of areas including their personality, risk preferences, social network, and habits relating to physical activity, eating, and sleep. Trial enrollment was conducted in partnership with Deloitte Consulting and included employees from 40 states across the US. CONCLUSION: The STEP UP Trial represents a scalable model and interventions found to be effective could be deployed more broadly to increase physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03311230. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Entities:
Keywords:
Behavioral economics; Gamification; Physical activity; Social incentives
Authors: Eugenia C South; Kathleen Lee; Kehinde Oyekanmi; David G Buckler; Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako; Tyler Martin; Sara L Kornfield; Sindhu Srinivas Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2021-05-20 Impact factor: 3.671
Authors: Paul Clarkson; Aoife Stephenson; Chloe Grimmett; Katherine Cook; Carol Clark; Paul E Muckelt; Philip O'Gorman; Zoe Saynor; Jo Adams; Maria Stokes; Suzanne McDonough Journal: Digit Health Date: 2022-04-11