Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
Interest in exercising more
Brief summary
The investigators propose that healthy behaviors such as exercise could be increased through the use of tying devices - mechanisms that force a coupling of addictive activities (listening to the next chapter of a page-turner novel) with engagement in a healthy behavior (exercise).
Detailed description
The study will test the effect of the following treatments as a means of increasing gym attendance over 10 weeks: 1. Participants receive access to 4 iTunes audio novels on their own iPods and prompted to listen to those novels only when exercising at the gym; 2: Participants receive 4 iTunes audio novels for a loaned iPod that they will only have access to at the gym; 3: Participants receive weekly emails asking them about their exercise.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALControl
Receive weekly emails asking participants about their exercise and receive cash.
BEHAVIORALSuggested Tying Intervention
Participants receive 4 iTunes audio novels for their own iPods to listen to only at the gym
BEHAVIORALForced Tying Intervention
Participants receive cash and also 4 iTunes audio novels for a loaned iPod accessible only at the gym to listen to only at the gym.
Sponsors
University of Pennsylvania
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Stable health as determined by the screening of their medical history * Own an iPod * An interest in exercising more regularly * Belong to the Pottruck Gym at University of Pennsylvania * Interested in exercising more through the use of aerobic exercise machines
Exclusion criteria
* Recent myocardial infraction * congestive heart failure * uncontrolled hypertension * self-report of 6 or more alcoholic beverages per day or use of any illicit drugs * bulimia nervosa or related behaviors * diabetes medication
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Average Weekly Gym Attendance From Baseline to Week 9 | 9 weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dollar Amount Participants Would Pay for Enrollment | 9 weeks | Willingness to pay is measured as the dollar amount a participant would pay to be enrolled in a program such as the treatment. Participant who would pay more are said to be more willing to pay, as opposed to those who would pay less or not at all. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Suggested Tying Receive same treatments as control group, but instead of receiving cash they receive 4 iTunes audio novels for their own iPods. Further, they are prompted to try to listen to those novels only when exercising at the gym in order to increase their attendance.
Suggested Tying Intervention: Participants receive 4 iTunes audio novels for their own iPods to listen to only at the gym | 75 |
| Forced Tying Receives same treatment as the control group. However, in addition to receiving the cash, they also receive 4 iTunes audio novels for a loaned iPod that they will only have access to at the gym. They are told they may only listen to these novels only when at the gym in order to increase their attendance.
Forced Tying Intervention: Participants receive cash and also 4 iTunes audio novels for a loaned iPod accessible only at the gym to listen to only at the gym. | 75 |
| Control Control group of participants who do not receive any intervention but are weighed at the beginning and end of a 10 week period and receive weekly emails asking them about their exercise. They also receive the equivalent cash value of 4 iTunes audio novels
Control: Receive weekly emails asking participants about their exercise and receive cash. | 76 |
| Total | 226 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Suggested Tying | Forced Tying | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 75 Participants | 75 Participants | 76 Participants | 226 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 50 Participants | 51 Participants | 48 Participants | 149 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 25 Participants | 24 Participants | 28 Participants | 77 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 75 | 0 / 75 | 0 / 76 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 75 | 0 / 75 | 0 / 76 |
Outcome results
Primary
Average Weekly Gym Attendance From Baseline to Week 9
Time frame: 9 weeks
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Suggested Tying | Average Weekly Gym Attendance From Baseline to Week 9 | 1.21 Average Weekly Gym Attendance |
| Forced Tying | Average Weekly Gym Attendance From Baseline to Week 9 | 1.42 Average Weekly Gym Attendance |
| Control | Average Weekly Gym Attendance From Baseline to Week 9 | 0.94 Average Weekly Gym Attendance |
Secondary
Dollar Amount Participants Would Pay for Enrollment
Willingness to pay is measured as the dollar amount a participant would pay to be enrolled in a program such as the treatment. Participant who would pay more are said to be more willing to pay, as opposed to those who would pay less or not at all.
Time frame: 9 weeks
Population: Some of the participants failed to respond for this outcome measure.
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suggested Tying | Dollar Amount Participants Would Pay for Enrollment | 4.77 Dollars | Standard Deviation 7.24 |
| Forced Tying | Dollar Amount Participants Would Pay for Enrollment | 6.01 Dollars | Standard Deviation 8.31 |
| Control | Dollar Amount Participants Would Pay for Enrollment | 9.87 Dollars | Standard Deviation 14.55 |