Ignite Creation Date:
2025-12-24 @ 10:51 PM
Ignite Modification Date:
2026-02-25 @ 4:48 PM
Study NCT ID:
NCT02267369
Status:
COMPLETED
Last Update Posted:
2014-10-17
First Post:
2014-10-07
Is Gene Therapy:
True
Has Adverse Events:
False
Brief Title:
The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Sponsor:
Organization:
Raw JSON
{'hasResults': False, 'derivedSection': {'miscInfoModule': {'versionHolder': '2025-12-24'}, 'conditionBrowseModule': {'meshes': [{'id': 'D009043', 'term': 'Motor Activity'}], 'ancestors': [{'id': 'D001519', 'term': 'Behavior'}]}, 'interventionBrowseModule': {'meshes': [{'id': 'D012924', 'term': 'Social Conditions'}], 'ancestors': [{'id': 'D012959', 'term': 'Socioeconomic Factors'}, {'id': 'D011154', 'term': 'Population Characteristics'}]}}, 'protocolSection': {'designModule': {'phases': ['NA'], 'studyType': 'INTERVENTIONAL', 'designInfo': {'allocation': 'RANDOMIZED', 'maskingInfo': {'masking': 'DOUBLE', 'whoMasked': ['CARE_PROVIDER', 'OUTCOMES_ASSESSOR']}, 'primaryPurpose': 'BASIC_SCIENCE', 'interventionModel': 'PARALLEL'}, 'enrollmentInfo': {'type': 'ACTUAL', 'count': 217}}, 'statusModule': {'overallStatus': 'COMPLETED', 'startDateStruct': {'date': '2014-01'}, 'expandedAccessInfo': {'hasExpandedAccess': False}, 'statusVerifiedDate': '2014-10', 'completionDateStruct': {'date': '2014-05', 'type': 'ACTUAL'}, 'lastUpdateSubmitDate': '2014-10-13', 'studyFirstSubmitDate': '2014-10-07', 'studyFirstSubmitQcDate': '2014-10-13', 'lastUpdatePostDateStruct': {'date': '2014-10-17', 'type': 'ESTIMATED'}, 'studyFirstPostDateStruct': {'date': '2014-10-17', 'type': 'ESTIMATED'}, 'primaryCompletionDateStruct': {'date': '2014-05', 'type': 'ACTUAL'}}, 'outcomesModule': {'primaryOutcomes': [{'measure': 'Fitness workshop enrollment', 'timeFrame': 'Up to 3 months', 'description': "Participants' enrollment in fitness workshops is recorded when participants digitally confirm their workshop registration. Workshop instructors confirm the attendance of enrolled participants. Enrollment is assessed up to 3 months from date of randomization."}], 'secondaryOutcomes': [{'measure': "Change from baseline in participants' self-reported physical activity level", 'timeFrame': 'Baseline and 3 months', 'description': 'At the baseline and post-program (3 months) online surveys, participants answer the question: "On how many of the past 7 days did you participate in physical activity for at least 30 minutes that did not make you sweat or breathe hard, such as fast walking, slow bicycling, and skating?" Responses to the question range from 0 to 7.'}]}, 'oversightModule': {'oversightHasDmc': False}, 'conditionsModule': {'keywords': ['online', 'social media', 'online social network', 'physical activity', 'message'], 'conditions': ['Physical Activity']}, 'referencesModule': {'references': [{'pmid': '23532799', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Valle CG, Tate DF, Mayer DK, Allicock M, Cai J. A randomized trial of a Facebook-based physical activity intervention for young adult cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2013 Sep;7(3):355-68. doi: 10.1007/s11764-013-0279-5. Epub 2013 Mar 27.'}, {'pmid': '23079176', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Cavallo DN, Tate DF, Ries AV, Brown JD, DeVellis RF, Ammerman AS. A social media-based physical activity intervention: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Nov;43(5):527-32. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.07.019.'}, {'pmid': '23079184', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Cobb NK, Graham AL. Health behavior interventions in the age of facebook. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Nov;43(5):571-2. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.08.001. No abstract available.'}, {'pmid': '15142921', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Eysenbach G, Powell J, Englesakis M, Rizo C, Stern A. Health related virtual communities and electronic support groups: systematic review of the effects of online peer to peer interactions. BMJ. 2004 May 15;328(7449):1166. doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7449.1166.'}, {'pmid': '20813952', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Centola D. The spread of behavior in an online social network experiment. Science. 2010 Sep 3;329(5996):1194-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1185231.'}, {'pmid': '22144624', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Centola D. An experimental study of homophily in the adoption of health behavior. Science. 2011 Dec 2;334(6060):1269-72. doi: 10.1126/science.1207055.'}, {'pmid': '21558472', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Korda H, Itani Z. Harnessing social media for health promotion and behavior change. Health Promot Pract. 2013 Jan;14(1):15-23. doi: 10.1177/1524839911405850. Epub 2011 May 10.'}, {'pmid': '19296777', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Bennett GG, Glasgow RE. The delivery of public health interventions via the Internet: actualizing their potential. Annu Rev Public Health. 2009;30:273-92. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.031308.100235.'}, {'pmid': '17716048', 'type': 'BACKGROUND', 'citation': 'Strecher V. Internet methods for delivering behavioral and health-related interventions (eHealth). Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2007;3:53-76. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091428.'}, {'pmid': '26844132', 'type': 'DERIVED', 'citation': 'Zhang J, Brackbill D, Yang S, Centola D. Efficacy and causal mechanism of an online social media intervention to increase physical activity: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Prev Med Rep. 2015 Aug 13;2:651-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.08.005. eCollection 2015.'}]}, 'descriptionModule': {'briefSummary': "The overall objective of this research is to collect data for understanding whether messages in online environments impact fitness attitudes and behaviors. In particular, the study aims to experimentally examine what features of online social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - impact offline fitness measures (such fitness workshop enrollment and self-reported physical activity level). The study partners with an existing fitness program at a large northeastern university, which provides a 13-week fitness program for graduate and professional students at the university. The program begins with a university-run eligibility assessment of specific fitness measures for all participants, who win prizes for improvements in program participation and health behavior outcomes. The fitness program consists of semester-long series of workshops offered through the university's recreation department. The randomized trial constructs an online social media platform for the fitness program that provides a way to send either promotion health messages or messages about peer activities to the online community.", 'detailedDescription': 'Sedentary lifestyle among university students and young adults has become a global epidemic. Widespread use of social media is both a contributing factor, and a potential solution; however the cost-effective use of social media to promote fitness on college campuses is poorly understood. This study aims to identify what features of social media - promotional messaging or peer networks - can increase physical activity levels.\n\nIn this randomized controlled trial, participants are randomized to three conditions: basic online program for enrolling in university-run weekly fitness workshops, media condition that supplements the basic program with promotional media messages, and a social condition that replaces the media content with a network of peers. Participants are limited to graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.'}, 'eligibilityModule': {'sex': 'ALL', 'stdAges': ['CHILD', 'ADULT', 'OLDER_ADULT'], 'healthyVolunteers': True, 'eligibilityCriteria': 'Inclusion Criteria:\n\n* Graduate and professional students at a large northeastern university.\n* Logging in to the study website at least once after online registration\n\nExclusion Criteria:\n\n* Inability to perform physical activities (e.g., broken limbs), and underlying diseases that were likely to affect participant safety. Ineligibility is determined by the Department of Recreation and Health Services at the university.'}, 'identificationModule': {'nctId': 'NCT02267369', 'briefTitle': 'The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial', 'organization': {'class': 'OTHER', 'fullName': 'University of Pennsylvania'}, 'officialTitle': 'The Causal Impact of Online Social Media on Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial', 'orgStudyIdInfo': {'id': '819455'}}, 'armsInterventionsModule': {'armGroups': [{'type': 'ACTIVE_COMPARATOR', 'label': 'Basic fitness program', 'description': "The control condition provides study participants with online tools for enrolling in offline fitness workshops offered by the university's recreation department and recording their progress in the program. All fitness workshops are pre-programmed in an online calendar. Upon clicking a workshop, participants can read a detailed description and register for it directly on the calendar. The registration then triggers a confirmation email sent to the participant immediately and a reminder email 12 hours before the workshop starts. In addition, an online tracking tool is built that participants can use to keep a daily journal of their health activities and fitness status.", 'interventionNames': ['Behavioral: Basic fitness program']}, {'type': 'EXPERIMENTAL', 'label': 'Media-assisted fitness program', 'description': 'The media condition evaluates the effects of informational and motivational messages on physical activity by supplementing the basic program tools with promotional media, including: "high arousal" videos encouraging physical activity, real-time email notifications about upcoming fitness workshops, and informational graphics with exercise tips and motivational messages. In the media condition, participants receive two videos on the website and one informational graphic that encourage physical activity on a weekly basis.', 'interventionNames': ['Behavioral: Media-assisted fitness program']}, {'type': 'EXPERIMENTAL', 'label': 'Social network-assisted fitness program', 'description': 'The social condition, by contrast, omits the media content. Instead, the basic program is supplemented with a network of four to six anonymous "health peers," composed of other participants of the program. Within the program website, each participant is able to see their peers\' basic profile information, as well as information about their peers\' progress in the program, and real-time notifications about their peers\' completion of program activities. These networks do not provide any added incentives or additional content to promote physical activity, nor can participants directly communicate with, or "message" their peers through the website.', 'interventionNames': ['Behavioral: Social network-assisted fitness program']}], 'interventions': [{'name': 'Media-assisted fitness program', 'type': 'BEHAVIORAL', 'otherNames': ['Media condition'], 'description': 'Participants can register workshops online, track program participation, and receive promotional health messages online.', 'armGroupLabels': ['Media-assisted fitness program']}, {'name': 'Social network-assisted fitness program', 'type': 'BEHAVIORAL', 'otherNames': ['Social condition'], 'description': 'Participants can register workshops online and track program participation. Participants are put into anonymous online social networks and receive real-time activity updates from 4-6 peers.', 'armGroupLabels': ['Social network-assisted fitness program']}, {'name': 'Basic fitness program', 'type': 'BEHAVIORAL', 'otherNames': ['Control condition'], 'description': 'Participants can register workshops online and track program participation.', 'armGroupLabels': ['Basic fitness program']}]}, 'contactsLocationsModule': {'overallOfficials': [{'name': 'Damon M. Centola, Ph.D', 'role': 'PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR', 'affiliation': 'Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania'}]}, 'sponsorCollaboratorsModule': {'leadSponsor': {'name': 'University of Pennsylvania', 'class': 'OTHER'}, 'responsibleParty': {'type': 'SPONSOR'}}}}