NCT04095923

A Social Media Game to Increase Physical Activity Among Older Adult Women

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 300 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 65 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will test the effects of a social media game on the physical activity of older adult women. The game will consist of playful weekly challenges that require sharing photographs on a private social media group and also wearing an activity monitor to track steps. Participants will be randomized to this game group or to receive the activity monitor only.

Detailed description

Older adult women are at risk for negative health impacts of physical inactivity, but current strategies to increase their activity have had disappointing long-term results. The intervention tested in this study seeks to test an innovative intervention that targets older womens' perceptions of enjoyment and their personal identity and values. The investigators will test the efficacy of a 12-month social media-based physical activity intervention for sedentary older adult women. Participants will be randomized to receive a standard Fitbit-only intervention or to an enhanced Fitbit + weekly social challenges intervention. The investigators hypothesize that participants in the enhanced intervention will demonstrate greater increases in autonomous regulation and objectively-measured steps as compared to those in the standard intervention. The investigators will also measure outcomes after a 6 month maintenance period (18 months after beginning the intervention). Additional outcomes will include engagement with the social network and self-reported playful experiences.

Conditions

• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Social media game	Participants will engage in weekly challenges that require them to take photographs of interesting things they discover during their walks. They will post and discuss these photographs with other participants on a private social media page. They will track their steps using a wearable activity monitor and receive brief standard self-regulatory counseling.
BEHAVIORAL	Standard self-regulation	Participants will track their steps using a wearable activity monitor and receive brief standard self-regulatory counseling.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-12-01
• Primary completion: 2025-08-13
• Completion: 2026-02-28
• First posted: 2019-09-19
• Last updated: 2025-09-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States