Exercise Incentives for YMCA Based Exercise

Empirical Testing of a Widely Available Insurance-based Monetary Incentive Program for Exercise: A Randomized Trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05704712

Enrollment

339

Registered

2023-01-30

Start date

2023-03-15

Completion date

2027-06-30

Last updated

2026-09-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Physical Inactivity

Keywords

Incentives, Motivation

Brief summary

The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to test financial incentive programs (versus control) to promote physical activity among 330 adults who have a YMCA membership. Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to $100 or $200 (depending on the condition they are assigned to) for attending at least 50 sessions at the YMCA over 6 months. Participants will have two 6-month windows during which they will have the opportunity to earn the incentive. In addition to the incentives, participants will complete research assessments every 3 months.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMonetary Incentives

Monetary incentives, provided in the form of pre-loaded Visa debit cards are provided to encourage exercise.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. A current member, or willing to become a current member of one of the following branches of the YMCA: 1. Bayside Family YMCA (Barrington, RI) 2. Cranston YMCA (Cranston, RI) 3. East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA (Providence, RI) 4. Kent County YMCA (Warwick, RI) 5. Newman YMCA (Seekonk, MA) 6. South County YMCA (South Kingston, RI) 2. Age 18 years or older 3. Physically capable of engaging in exercise

Exclusion criteria

1. Not a current member, and unwilling to become a member of one of the above listed YMCA branches. 2. Under age 18. 3. Physically incapable of exercise 4. Doctor has recommended that you should not exercise because of a current health condition

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Number of YMCA visits	Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months	Number of sessions (max 1 per day) a person signs into the YMCA

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Accelerometry	Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.	Minutes of physical activity weighted by intensity, expressed in metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week as determined by accelerometers (Actigraph \[model wGT3x-BT\]) worn during one-week periods.
Change in Self-report physical activity (Godin)	Measured at baseline, and months 3, 6, 9, and 12.	Self-reported minutes of leisure time physical activity (inside and outside the YMCA) per week weighted by intensity

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORDavid M Williams, Ph.D.

Brown University School of Public Health

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOROmar Galarraga, Ph.D.