Move@NUS: a Digital Intervention Cohort Promoting Healthy Movement Behaviours

Official title

Move@NUS: Pilot Study of a Digital Intervention Cohort to Promote Healthy Sleep, Screen Viewing, and Physical Activity Habits for Improved Health and Wellbeing

Overview

The aim of the Move@NUS pilot study is to determine the feasibility of establishing a digital intervention cohort to monitor and improve the health and wellbeing of students by encouraging them to engage in healthy movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sleep, and limiting smartphone-based recreational screentime). The digital intervention cohort consists of: * 6-months of continuous monitoring of movement behaviours, wellbeing and related factors via an Apple Watch and repeated bursts of ecological momentary assessments (EMAs). * 3x embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of small-scale smartphone-based interventions designed to nudge participants toward participating in healthier movement behaviours.

Detailed description

Good overall mental and physical health and wellbeing can be promoted by engaging in healthy movement behaviours - getting adequate sleep, being physically active, and minimising recreational time spent watching a screen or being sedentary. The objectives of this study are to determine the feasibility of:

* establishing a digital cohort study and continuously monitoring health behaviours and wellbeing (and related factors) for 6 months, and * rapidly evaluating the effects of ecological momentary interventions (EMIs; small-scale interventions that provide support in real-time, delivered via the smartwatch and app) for promoting healthy movement behaviours via a series of embedded RCTs.

The investigators will enrol up to 150 first-year university students into an innovative hybrid study that combines a digital cohort with embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The digital cohort consists of 6 months of continuous observations of movement behaviours, wellbeing, and related factors via a smartwatch (Apple Watch) and repeated bursts of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys. Throughout the 6-month monitoring period, participants are enrolled in 3 embedded RCTs evaluating the effects of EMIs that, in turn, target sleep, physical activity, and smartphone-based recreational screentime. For each embedded-RCT we assess engagement and acceptability outcomes (e.g., whether a push notification is opened, whether it is responded to), and preliminary efficacy (i.e., whether there is a between group difference in the target behaviour from pre- to post-intervention). Participants also complete traditional questionnaires at baseline, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.

Interventions

• Behavioral educational content (sleep hygiene)
  app-based sleep hygiene-related educational content
• Behavioral sleep hygiene strategies
  app-based self-selection of sleep hygiene strategies
• Behavioral reminders
  daily reminders sent via push notifications
• Behavioral review of behavioural goal
  app-based review of behavioural goal
• Behavioral educational content (sleep guidelines)
  app-based educational content on recommended sleep guidelines
• Behavioral comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour
  use of smartwatch/smartphone data to assess current behaviour and compare it to ideal behaviour
• Behavioral goal setting
  prompt participant to set a goal in relation to targeted behaviour
• Behavioral educational content (Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA))
  app-based educational content on VILPA
• Behavioral screentime breaks
  repeated daily reminders to break up screentime

Primary outcome measures

• RCT 1. Sleep [Time frame: week 1 (pre-intervention), week 3 (intervention midpoint), week 5 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study]
• RCT 2. Physical activity [Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study]
• RCT 2. Physical activity [Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study]
• RCT 2. Physical activity [Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study]
• RCT 3. Screentime [Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study]
• Wellbeing [Time frame: Continuously over 6-months]

Eligibility criteria

Participants are eligible to join the study if they:

• are enrolled in the first year of an undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore,
• own or use an Apple smartphone with a data plan,
• are willing to download and use a smartphone app, and
• have an Apple smartwatch (Series 6/SE or newer) and are willing to wear it continuously for the 6-month study duration.

Participants will be excluded if they are:

• pregnant, or
• planning to be overseas for more than 6 weeks (per trip) during the upcoming semester.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Double blind

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Publications

• Chen M, Movia M, Chua XH, Tan SYX, Zheng S, Jin K, Topothai T, Padmapriya N, Muller-Riemenschneider F, Edney S. MOVE@NUS digital intervention cohort: protocol of a pilot study to promote healthy movement in university students. J Act Sedentary Sleep Behav. 2026 Feb 12;5(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s44167-026-00097-z. PMID 41680943

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06597890 · NUS-IRB-2023-800

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗