Sedentary LifestyleNCT02573454
Prosocial Exercise: Does Exercising for Charity Result in Greater Well-Being and Physical Activity?
A study testing App assignment in people with Sedentary Lifestyle, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether prosocial exercise (exercising for the benefit of others) results in greater well-being and physical activity when compared to personal exercise (exercising without attempting to benefit others). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- What is being tested?
- App assignment
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 117 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Feb 2015to Nov 2015
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- able to read and write English,
- undergraduate student at UBC,
- owns a smart phone (i.e., android or iPhone), and
- participates in a maximum of three 30 minute sessions of moderate-vigorous activity per week.
Who cannot join
- individuals not cleared for physical activity engagement (i.e., those that do not pass the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire Plus (PAR-Q+) and do not obtain a doctor's approval).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Canada1 site
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4
About this study
The purpose of this study is to determine whether prosocial exercise (exercising for the benefit of others) results in greater well-being and physical activity when compared to personal exercise (exercising without attempting to benefit others). Participants will be randomly assigned to utilize one of two exercise apps for a two week period: Charity Miles, which allows users to donate money to charities based on exercise participation, or Nike+ Running, which is a standard GPS exercise app. Participants will be provided with questionnaires at pre- and post-test, at a 4 week-follow-up, and immediately before and after each use of the app.
Read the detailed description
Physical inactivity is a prevalent problem, with few Canadians active enough to accrue the health-related benefits associated with exercise. In response to ineffective means of physical activity promotion efforts, recent work suggests focusing on well-being as an outcome of exercise to better promote such behaviour.
Well-being is often conceptualized from two separate fields of study: hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia is concerned with the experience of pleasure and the avoidance of pain and is often equated to happiness. Conversely, eudaimonia is associated with more existential concerns and is sometimes equated with 'personal meaning'.
While hedonic well-being has been reliably linked to increased physical activity behaviour, less is understood about the possible effects of eudaimonic well-being on exercise engagement. As such, research should work towards developing a greater understanding of the relationship between well-being and physical activity. In doing so, research may be able to ascertain whether the experience of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being is effective in increasing exercise engagement.
One particular behaviour that has been reliably linked to well-being is prosocial behaviour, or behaviour undertaken voluntarily with the aim of aiding or benefitting others. In particular, a wide variety of research has established a link between well-being and prosocial behaviours including volunteering and prosocial spending. Furthermore, engaging in prosocial behaviour has been identified as an effective means of motivating individuals and increasing performance.
As prosocial behaviour has been linked to increased hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and as prosocial motivation has been identified as a powerful means of behaviour change, prosocial exercise, or engaging in physical activity to benefit others, may produce increases in well-being and future physical activity behaviour. As prosocial exercise is a common and popular activity (e.g., engaging in charity runs such as Run for the Cure or Relay for Life), research should work to ascertain whether increased well-being is related to prosocial exercise, and whether this association results in increased exercise behaviour.
In order to test this, students will be recruited to take part in a two-week experiment, whereby half of the students will be randomly assigned to a prosocial exercise condition (and use the prosocial exercise app, 'Charity Miles'), and half will be randomly assigned to a personal exercise condition (and utilize a standard exercise app, Nike+ Running). Participants' eudaimonic and hedonic well-being and exercise behaviour will be assessed at baseline and two weeks following, as well as before and after each use of the exercise app. It is hypothesized that the participants in the prosocial exercise condition will report greater exercise engagement compared to participants in the standard condition, and that this relationship will be mediated by hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.
- Conditions
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Being tested
- App assignment
- Medical subject headings
- Sedentary Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
App assignmentBehavioural
Under-active undergraduates are assigned to use a GPS exercise app that is prosocial (i.e., allows the user to raise money for charities) or personal (does not allow the user to raise money for charities) in nature
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Prosocial Exercise | Experimental | Participants are provided with the intervention (App Assignment). In this arm, the participants are randomly assigned to the Prosocial Exercise group use a GPS exercise app named Charity Miles, in which users can earn donations for charities based on the miles they walk or run (approximately 25 cents for every mile). Receives: Behavioral: App assignment |
| Personal Exercise | Active comparator | Participants are provided with the intervention (App Assignment). In this arm, the participants are randomly assigned to the Personal Exercise group use a traditional GPS exercise app named Nike + Running, in which users can track the mileage that they walk or run (i.e., there is no opportunity to earn donations for charity through exercise behaviour). Receives: Behavioral: App assignment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity assessed by the Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ)
A modified version of the Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ; Godin \& Shephard, 1985) is employed
Measured: Pre-test, 2-weeks post, 6-weeks post
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Oct 2015 (estimated)
- Study startFeb 2015
- Primary completionNov 2015
- Study completionNov 2015
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Sedentary LifestyleStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of British ColumbiaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 117 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mark Beauchamp, University of British Columbia
- Investigators
- Mark Beauchamp, PhD, Principal investigator, University of British Columbia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02573454
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H14-03018
- Status last verified
- May 2017
- First submitted
- 7 Oct 2015
- Last updated
- 9 May 2017
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Clarke J, Tremblay MS. Physical activity of Canadian adults: accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Rep. 2011 Mar;22(1):7-14.
PubMed 21510585Segar ML, Eccles JS, Richardson CR. Rebranding exercise: closing the gap between values and behavior. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011 Aug 31;8:94. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-8-94.
PubMed 21884579Segar ML, Richardson CR. Prescribing pleasure and meaning: cultivating walking motivation and maintenance. Am J Prev Med. 2014 Dec;47(6):838-41. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.07.001. Epub 2014 Aug 26. No abstract available.
PubMed 25172091Ryan RM, Deci EL. On happiness and human potentials: a review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annu Rev Psychol. 2001;52:141-66. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141.
PubMed 11148302Rhodes RE, Fiala B, Conner M. A review and meta-analysis of affective judgments and physical activity in adult populations. Ann Behav Med. 2009 Dec;38(3):180-204. doi: 10.1007/s12160-009-9147-y.
PubMed 20082164Bierhoff, H. W. (2005). Prosocial behaviour. New York: Psychology Press.
Thoits PA, Hewitt LN. Volunteer work and well-being. J Health Soc Behav. 2001 Jun;42(2):115-31.
PubMed 11467248Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI. Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science. 2008 Mar 21;319(5870):1687-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1150952.
PubMed 18356530Grant, A. M., Campbell, E. M., Chen, G., Cottone, K., Lapedis, D., & Lee, K. (2007). Impact and the art of motivation maintenance: The effects of contact with beneficiaries on persistence behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 103(1), 53-67.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 May 2017. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Prosocial Exercise: Does Exercising for Charity Result in Greater Well-Being and Physical Activity?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02573454
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- H14-03018
- Conditions
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 117 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of British ColumbiaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Feb 2015
- Primary completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- Study completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Oct 2015 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether prosocial exercise (exercising for the benefit of others) results in greater well-being and physical activity when compared to personal exercise (exercising without attempting to benefit others). Participants will be randomly assigned to utilize one of two exercise apps for a two week period: Charity Miles, which allows users to donate money to charities based on exercise participation, or Nike+ Running, which is a standard GPS exercise app. Participants will be provided with questionnaires at pre- and post-test, at a 4 week-follow-up, and immediately before and after each use of the app.
Detailed description
Physical inactivity is a prevalent problem, with few Canadians active enough to accrue the health-related benefits associated with exercise. In response to ineffective means of physical activity promotion efforts, recent work suggests focusing on well-being as an outcome of exercise to better promote such behaviour.
Well-being is often conceptualized from two separate fields of study: hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia is concerned with the experience of pleasure and the avoidance of pain and is often equated to happiness. Conversely, eudaimonia is associated with more existential concerns and is sometimes equated with 'personal meaning'.
While hedonic well-being has been reliably linked to increased physical activity behaviour, less is understood about the possible effects of eudaimonic well-being on exercise engagement. As such, research should work towards developing a greater understanding of the relationship between well-being and physical activity. In doing so, research may be able to ascertain whether the experience of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being is effective in increasing exercise engagement.
One particular behaviour that has been reliably linked to well-being is prosocial behaviour, or behaviour undertaken voluntarily with the aim of aiding or benefitting others. In particular, a wide variety of research has established a link between well-being and prosocial behaviours including volunteering and prosocial spending. Furthermore, engaging in prosocial behaviour has been identified as an effective means of motivating individuals and increasing performance.
As prosocial behaviour has been linked to increased hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and as prosocial motivation has been identified as a powerful means of behaviour change, prosocial exercise, or engaging in physical activity to benefit others, may produce increases in well-being and future physical activity behaviour. As prosocial exercise is a common and popular activity (e.g., engaging in charity runs such as Run for the Cure or Relay for Life), research should work to ascertain whether increased well-being is related to prosocial exercise, and whether this association results in increased exercise behaviour.
In order to test this, students will be recruited to take part in a two-week experiment, whereby half of the students will be randomly assigned to a prosocial exercise condition (and use the prosocial exercise app, 'Charity Miles'), and half will be randomly assigned to a personal exercise condition (and utilize a standard exercise app, Nike+ Running). Participants' eudaimonic and hedonic well-being and exercise behaviour will be assessed at baseline and two weeks following, as well as before and after each use of the exercise app. It is hypothesized that the participants in the prosocial exercise condition will report greater exercise engagement compared to participants in the standard condition, and that this relationship will be mediated by hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Prosocial Exercise | Experimental | Behavioral: App assignmentParticipants are provided with the intervention (App Assignment). In this arm, the participants are randomly assigned to the Prosocial Exercise group use a GPS exercise app named Charity Miles, in which users can earn donations for charities based on the miles they walk or run (approximately 25 cents for every mile). |
| Personal Exercise | Active comparator | Behavioral: App assignmentParticipants are provided with the intervention (App Assignment). In this arm, the participants are randomly assigned to the Personal Exercise group use a traditional GPS exercise app named Nike + Running, in which users can track the mileage that they walk or run (i.e., there is no opportunity to earn donations for charity through exercise behaviour). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- able to read and write English,
- undergraduate student at UBC,
- owns a smart phone (i.e., android or iPhone), and
- participates in a maximum of three 30 minute sessions of moderate-vigorous activity per week.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- individuals not cleared for physical activity engagement (i.e., those that do not pass the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire Plus (PAR-Q+) and do not obtain a doctor's approval).
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| App assignmentUnder-active undergraduates are assigned to use a GPS exercise app that is prosocial (i.e., allows the user to raise money for charities) or personal (does not allow the user to raise money for charities) in nature | Behavioural | Personal Exercise, Prosocial Exercise |
Primary outcome
Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity assessed by the Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ)
Time frame: Pre-test, 2-weeks post, 6-weeks post
A modified version of the Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ; Godin \& Shephard, 1985) is employed
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 May 2017.
- Background: PubMed 21510585Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Clarke J, Tremblay MS. Physical activity of Canadian adults: accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Rep. 2011 Mar;22(1):7-14.
- Background: PubMed 21884579Segar ML, Eccles JS, Richardson CR. Rebranding exercise: closing the gap between values and behavior. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011 Aug 31;8:94. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-8-94.
- Background: PubMed 25172091Segar ML, Richardson CR. Prescribing pleasure and meaning: cultivating walking motivation and maintenance. Am J Prev Med. 2014 Dec;47(6):838-41. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.07.001. Epub 2014 Aug 26. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 11148302Ryan RM, Deci EL. On happiness and human potentials: a review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annu Rev Psychol. 2001;52:141-66. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141.
- Background: PubMed 20082164Rhodes RE, Fiala B, Conner M. A review and meta-analysis of affective judgments and physical activity in adult populations. Ann Behav Med. 2009 Dec;38(3):180-204. doi: 10.1007/s12160-009-9147-y.
- BackgroundBierhoff, H. W. (2005). Prosocial behaviour. New York: Psychology Press.
- Background: PubMed 11467248Thoits PA, Hewitt LN. Volunteer work and well-being. J Health Soc Behav. 2001 Jun;42(2):115-31.
- Background: PubMed 18356530Dunn EW, Aknin LB, Norton MI. Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science. 2008 Mar 21;319(5870):1687-8. doi: 10.1126/science.1150952.
- BackgroundGrant, A. M., Campbell, E. M., Chen, G., Cottone, K., Lapedis, D., & Lee, K. (2007). Impact and the art of motivation maintenance: The effects of contact with beneficiaries on persistence behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 103(1), 53-67.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Mark Beauchamp, PhD principal investigator
University of British Columbia
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing App assignment in people with Sedentary Lifestyle, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 May 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity assessed by the Godin's Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) (time frame: Pre-test, 2-weeks post, 6-weeks post). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02573454, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 May 2017.