Sedentary Employees
Conditions
Keywords
Sedentary, Behavioral Economic Intervention, Team Studies, Financial Incentives, Workplace Wellness, Team Incentives
Brief summary
Employers are increasingly looking for opportunities to motivate sedentary employees to become more physically active. Workplace walking programs have had mixed success and typically show most improvement among participants that are already fairly active at a baseline. The goal of this study is to determine whether a financial incentive program can motivate sedentary employees to increase the number of steps they walk per day to meet a minimum threshold. Our primary outcome measure is the proportion of days a minimum activity of 7000 steps or more is achieved. We will assess outcomes each week for 3 months using incentives followed by 3 months of follow-up without incentives. Secondary outcomes will include the average steps walked per day.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALBasic Lottery
Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning $5. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
BEHAVIORALCombined Lottery
Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning $5 and a 1 in 100 chance of winning $50. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
BEHAVIORALJackpot Lottery
Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 400 chance of winning $500. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
Sponsors
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
University of Pennsylvania
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 1\. We will use a minimum age of 18 to ensure all individuals are legally able to consent. * 2\. Participant will need an iPhone or Android smartphone to be able to use the Moves App for tracking steps
Exclusion criteria
* Conditions that would make participation infeasible: 1a. Inability to consent 1b. Illiteracy and/or inability to speak, read, and write English 1c. Participation in another research study 2. Conditions that would make participation unsafe: 2a. Current treatment for drug or alcohol use 2b. Consumption of at least 5 alcoholic drinks per day 2c. Myocardial infarction or stroke within the past 6 months 2d. Current addiction to prescription medicines or street drugs 2e. Serious psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., severe major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) 2f. Pregnant or currently breastfeeding 2g. Metastatic cancer 2h. Unstable medical conditions that would likely prevent the participant from completing the study
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | End of study- 6 months of after enrollment | Our primary outcome measure is the proportion of days a minimum activity of 7000 steps or more is achieved. We will assess outcomes for 3 months using incentives followed by 3 months of follow-up without incentives. All available data will be analyzed, and missing will be treated as true missing data points. Secondary outcomes will include the average steps walked per day. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | End of study- 6 months after enrollment | Secondary outcomes include average number of steps per day during intervention (with incentives) and follow up periods (without incentives). |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Control Participants receive either an email or text message daily (based on the participant's preference) stating whether the participant achieved the 7000 step goal during the previous day. | 65 |
| Basic Lottery Participants receive either an email or text message daily (based on the participant's preference) stating whether the participant achieved the 7000 step goal during the previous day. Each day a lottery will be held, and participants will be eligible to collect monetary rewards only if the participant met the step goal the day before. The names of the winners will be announced during each lottery. The daily lotteries are as follows:
About a 1 in 4 chance of winning $5. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
Basic Lottery: Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning $5. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day. | 41 |
| Jackpot Lottery Participants receive either an email or text message daily (based on the participant's preference) stating whether the participant achieved the 7000 step goal during the previous day. Each day a lottery will be held, and participants will be eligible to collect monetary rewards only if the participant met the step goal the day before. The names of the winners will be announced during each lottery. The daily lotteries are as follows:
About a 1 in 400 chance of winning $500. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
Jackpot Lottery: Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 400 chance of winning $500. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day. | 59 |
| Combined Lottery Participants receive either an email or text message daily (based on the participant's preference) stating whether the participant achieved the 7000 step goal during the previous day. Each day a lottery will be held, and participants will be eligible to collect monetary rewards only if the participant met the step goal the day before. The names of the winners will be announced during each lottery. The daily lotteries are as follows:
About a 1 in 5 chance of winning $5 and a 1 in 100 chance of winning $50. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day.
Combined Lottery: Participants who meet their daily step goals will be eligible for a daily lottery. They will have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning $5 and a 1 in 100 chance of winning $50. Expected value is about $1.40 per person per day. | 44 |
| Total | 209 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 | FG002 | FG003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | No longer interested | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Basic Lottery | Jackpot Lottery | Combined Lottery | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 41.2 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.1 | 40.6 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.5 | 42.9 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.3 | 40.0 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 11 | 41.2 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.7 |
| Annual household income $50,000 to $100,000 | 18 Participants | 22 Participants | 25 Participants | 22 Participants | 87 Participants |
| Annual household income Greater than $100,000 | 9 Participants | 19 Participants | 8 Participants | 21 Participants | 57 Participants |
| Annual household income Less than $50,000 | 12 Participants | 12 Participants | 8 Participants | 17 Participants | 49 Participants |
| Annual household income Missing | 2 Participants | 6 Participants | 3 Participants | 5 Participants | 16 Participants |
| Body mass index | 32.0 kg/m^2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.8 | 33.5 kg/m^2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.9 | 32.9 kg/m^2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.3 | 33.8 kg/m^2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 6 | 33.2 kg/m^2 STANDARD_DEVIATION 5 |
| Education College graduate | 31 Participants | 44 Participants | 29 Participants | 51 Participants | 155 Participants |
| Education Less than college | 1 Participants | 4 Participants | 4 Participants | 1 Participants | 10 Participants |
| Education Some college | 9 Participants | 11 Participants | 11 Participants | 13 Participants | 44 Participants |
| Iphone smartphone | 30 Participants | 38 Participants | 27 Participants | 43 Participants | 138 Participants |
| Marital status Married | 16 Participants | 37 Participants | 22 Participants | 32 Participants | 107 Participants |
| Marital status Other | 11 Participants | 8 Participants | 5 Participants | 10 Participants | 34 Participants |
| Marital status Single | 14 Participants | 14 Participants | 17 Participants | 23 Participants | 68 Participants |
| Race/ethnicity African American non-Hispanic | 7 Participants | 12 Participants | 8 Participants | 12 Participants | 39 Participants |
| Race/ethnicity Hispanic | 2 Participants | 6 Participants | 0 Participants | 3 Participants | 11 Participants |
| Race/ethnicity Other non-Hispanic | 2 Participants | 5 Participants | 2 Participants | 5 Participants | 14 Participants |
| Race/ethnicity White non-Hispanic | 30 Participants | 36 Participants | 34 Participants | 45 Participants | 145 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 32 Participants | 44 Participants | 33 Participants | 52 Participants | 161 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 9 Participants | 15 Participants | 11 Participants | 13 Participants | 48 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk | EG003 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 65 | 0 / 41 | 0 / 59 | 0 / 44 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 65 | 0 / 41 | 0 / 59 | 0 / 44 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 65 | 0 / 41 | 0 / 59 | 0 / 44 |
Outcome results
Primary
Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention
Our primary outcome measure is the proportion of days a minimum activity of 7000 steps or more is achieved. We will assess outcomes for 3 months using incentives followed by 3 months of follow-up without incentives. All available data will be analyzed, and missing will be treated as true missing data points. Secondary outcomes will include the average steps walked per day.
Time frame: End of study- 6 months of after enrollment
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 0.264 Proportion of participant days |
| Control | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 0.191 Proportion of participant days |
| Basic Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 0.211 Proportion of participant days |
| Basic Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 0.319 Proportion of participant days |
| Jackpot Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 0.290 Proportion of participant days |
| Jackpot Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 0.155 Proportion of participant days |
| Combined Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 0.384 Proportion of participant days |
| Combined Lottery | Proportion of Days a Minimum Activity of 7000 Steps or More is Achieved During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 0.215 Proportion of participant days |
Secondary
Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention
Secondary outcomes include average number of steps per day during intervention (with incentives) and follow up periods (without incentives).
Time frame: End of study- 6 months after enrollment
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 4744.8 steps per day |
| Control | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 4068.9 steps per day |
| Basic Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 4408.4 steps per day |
| Basic Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 5022.9 steps per day |
| Jackpot Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 5439.6 steps per day |
| Jackpot Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 4449.5 steps per day |
| Combined Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Intervention Period (3 months with incentives) | 4838.0 steps per day |
| Combined Lottery | Average Number of Steps Per Day During Intervention | Follow Up Period (3 months without incentives) | 3800.3 steps per day |