Motivating Activity Through Text Communications - Helping Adults Increase Movement

Official title

Motivating Activity Through Text - Comparing Human and AI Messages (MATCH AIM) Trial

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of different types of text messages on physical activity levels of middle-aged and older adults and to determine whether these messages are effective in adults age 40 and older who are engaging in less than 90 minutes per week of moderate or higher intensity physical activity. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Which types of motivational messages show the greatest effects on changes in daily step counts in a 3-month precision text messaging intervention? * What are the effects of personalized text messages on automatic affective evaluations, habit strength (experienced automaticity), exercise identity, working memory capacity, and processing speed? Participants will: * Wear a Fitbit activity tracker continuously for 3 months and are encouraged to continue wearing it through 6 months. * Wear an activPAL activity monitor on their thigh for 7-day assessment periods at the beginning of the study, at 3 months, and at 6 months. * Complete 3 cognitive assessments ("brain games") per day on their smartphone during the 7-day assessment periods at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. * Be asked to set goals to increase their daily steps over the first 3 months of the study. * Receive up to 4 motivational text messages per day for 3 months to encourage physical activity. * Keep study-related apps (Fitbit app, AIM app, MetricWire app) open in the background on their smartphone. * Complete questionnaires at the beginning of the study, at 3 months, and at 6 months

Interventions

• Behavioral Text Messaging Intervention
  Participants will receive up to 4 motivational text messages per day during a self-selected 12-hour window. These messages focus on two content areas: 1) Move more, and 2) sit less. Delivery of these messages occurs in two phases: 1. Random AIM (month 1): Messages are sent at random times within the participant's window to collect baseline data on their behavioral responses. 2. Precision AIM (months 2 and 3): Messages are sent at optimized times based on person-specific models that are created

Primary outcome measures

• Daily Step Count [Time frame: The activPAL is worn on the thigh for a 7-day assessment period before the intervention begins (baseline), after 3 months of intervention, and then again 3 months after the intervention is complete. The total time frame is 6 months.]

Secondary outcome measures (5)

• Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Habit Strength [Time frame: These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).]
• Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Exercise Identity (Reflective) [Time frame: These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).]
• Mechanisms of Behavior Change for Adherence: Automatic Affective Evaluations [Time frame: These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (month 6).]
• Ambulatory Cognitive Function: Processing Speed [Time frame: These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: Baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (6 month).]
• Ambulatory Cognitive Function: Working Memory Capacity [Time frame: These secondary outcomes are collected at the same major time points as the primary outcome: Baseline (month 0), post-intervention (month 3), and follow-up (6 month).]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Be 40 years of age or older
• Own a smartphone running an Android or iOS operating system
• Have proficiency with the English language
• Be capable of providing informed consent
• Be able to perform moderate physical activity without restrictions
• Be willing to complete the entire 6-month protocol
• Be willing to establish a 12-hour window - beginning no later than 9:45 am and ending no later than 9:45 pm - for receiving text messages.

Exclusion criteria

• Residing outside of the continental United States
• Self-reporting 90 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per week
• contraindications to normal physical activity as identified on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
• Mobility restrictions that interfere with unassisted physical activity
• Being pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study
• Planning to undergo surgery during the course of the study protocol
• Having a prior diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia
• Evidence of mild cognitive impairment as indicated by a mini-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test score of 12 or higher
• Concurrent participation in another study involving weight loss or physical activity
• Failure to respond to at least 85% of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) prompts during the 7-day qualification phase.

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

Quadruple blind

Primary purpose

Other

Study locations

United States · 1 center

• University of Michigan — Ann Arbor

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07593677 · HUM00262651 · P30AG086637

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗