This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a physical activity promotion intervention focused on walking behavior. The intervention is delivered via mobile application in a sample drawn from the healthy adult population.
A sample of sedentary adults will be invited to participate in a 30 days intervention delivered via a mobile app to achieve the goal of 7,000 daily steps. Before and after the intervention, some crucial variables will be evaluated for the formation of the intention to change behavior and for the transition from intention to action (attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, expectations related to change, risk perception, social support, planning) to compare two models of behavioral change. During the intervention, messages will be sent daily, and the number of steps taken daily will be monitored. The aim is to compare the effectiveness of two types of communication in promoting a positive behavioral change: non-personalized communication centered on well-being (non-tailored communication) vs. personalized communication based on the psychological characteristics evaluated before the intervention (tailored communication). The physical activity carried out over 30 days by the participants who will receive the messages (tailored and non-tailored) will be compared with the physical activity carried out by participants who will not receive any messages (control group).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
255
Every afternoon at the same time, the mobile application sends a message to the participants of the TM arm. The message is tailored based on the answers provided to the pre-intervention questionnaire. An example message is: "you think you are not able to walk regularly when your morale is low: do not give up because physical activity is also good for the mood!" The intervention is provided for 30 days.
Every afternoon at the same time, the mobile application sends a message to the participants of the NTM arm. The message concerns the emotional well-being resulting from the performance of the physical activity and is not tailored. An example message is: "walking regularly in the fresh air improves your mood." The intervention is provided for 30 days.
University of Milano-Bicocca
Milan, MI, Italy
RECRUITINGChange from Baseline in Physical Activity
Physical activity is assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ; Mannocci et al., 2010). The scale comprises seven items on Physical Activity providing information about time spent walking, moderate and vigorous intensity, and sedentary activity. The elements are structured to provide separate scores for walking, moderate and vigorous intensity activity, and a combined total score to describe the overall activity level. Data collected with IPAQ are reported as a continuous measure and reported as MET-median minutes.
Time frame: Baseline and 30 days
Change from Baseline in Walk behavior
Walk behavior is self-monitored daily. Each evening, participants receive a message and enter the number of steps taken in a specific app section based on the data reported on the smartwatch or the smartphone's native app. The mean number of steps at the intervention's beginning and the end is then calculated. These two measures are compared to verify whether a statistically significant increase in daily steps is observed over time.
Time frame: Baseline and 30 days
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