Adolescent Behavior, Health Behavior, Motivation
Conditions
Keywords
Health Behavior, Exercise, Adolescent Behavior, Motivation, Biological Markers
Brief summary
The primary purpose of this study is to test whether rewarding physical activity with a motivational website will increase physical activity levels in middle school-aged children over six months. As a secondary outcome, the study also tests the intervention's impact on biological measures of inflammation and metabolic function in a sub-set of study participants who agree to provide blood samples.
Detailed description
Physical activity is associated with a variety of positive health outcomes, as well as improved metabolic profiles and reduced inflammation. However, levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) diminish dramatically as children move into the middle school years. To address this problem, this study tests a behavioral intervention, called Zamzee, designed to motivate middle school-aged children to increase their levels of MVPA. The Zamzee intervention consists of a 3-axis accelerometer that tracks individual physical activity rates over time and a website that displays individual physical activity rates and provides rewards for maintaining or improving physical activity rates. The primary aim of this randomized, controlled trial is to test whether middle school-aged children randomly assigned to the Zamzee intervention will show significantly greater levels of physical activity levels over six months, compared with control group participants who wear the accelerometer but have no access to the rewards website. A secondary aim is to test the intervention's impact on biological parameters that may contribute to the long-term health effects of inactivity (including C-reactive protein as a measure of inflammation, and hemoglobin-A1C as a measure of metabolic status) in a sub-set of study participants who agree to provide blood samples.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALZamzee Intervention
The Zamzee intervention is designed to motivate middle school-aged children to increase their rates of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by providing rewards based on amount and duration of physical activity. Rewards include gift cards to retail stores, donations to charity, small tangible goods, and customization of their cartoon-like avatars on the website.
Sponsors
West Virginia University
HopeLab Foundation
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
11 Years to 14 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Middle-school-aged students aged 11 to 14
Exclusion criteria
* Previously participation in a Zamzee pilot study * Existing medical conditions or health complications that will interfere with the ability to be physically active * Inability to read and write English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Physical activity | Six months | The amount and intensity of physical activity is recorded continuously every study day that participants wear their accelerometer for the duration of the six month study. The primary outcome reported will be rates of moderate to vigorous physical activity as defined by the CDC. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers | Six months | In the subset of study participants who agree to provide blood samples, blood samples collected at study baseline and at the six month study completion will be assayed for measures of inflammation (e.g., C-reactive protein) and metabolic function (e.g.,hemoglobin-A1C). |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed