Physical ActivityNCT03305172
Structuring Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity
A study testing Financial Incentive in people with Physical Activity and Weight Loss, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of different structures of long term financial incentives on increasing physical activity performed by subjects, as measured by the number of steps walked per day. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 25 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Physical Activity, Weight Loss
- What is being tested?
- Financial Incentive
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 620 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSingapore
- Study dates
- 9 Oct 2017to 30 Jan 2019
- 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 25 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Singapore citizens and permanent residents
- Adults with BMI greater than 22
- Ownership of a smartphone or tablet
- Only one member per household can participate in the study
Who cannot join
- Women who are pregnant or breast feeding, or who intend to become pregnant over next year
- Subjects who are already participating in another physical activity program or study
- Subjects who are unable to participate for a total of 1 year
- Subjects who are unwilling to wear the fitness device
- Subjects who already walk more than 10,000 steps a day (self-reported per-day-average over seven days)
- Subjects who have any of the following health conditions:
Show all 14Show fewer
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- heart attack
- heart failure
- stroke
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- kidney disease
- diabetes (type 2)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of different structures of long term financial incentives on increasing physical activity performed by subjects, as measured by the number of steps walked per day.
Investigators are interested in studying whether physical activity increases during an intervention period (with incentives) and a post-intervention period (with no incentives).
Read the detailed description
The proposed study is a field experiment. Adults within the ages of 25 and 60 years of age, and with a body mass index of 22 or higher will be eligible to participate.
The study will consist of (1) a two-week baseline period, (2) a 36-week intervention period, and (3) a 12-week follow-up period.
At the beginning of the study, subjects will be given a wearable fitness device and their daily step count will be monitored for two weeks; this is the baseline period. After the two-week baseline period, the subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the five different conditions (Control, Gain, Loss, Gain Streak, or Loss Streak) and will be given the goal to increase their baseline step counts by 2,500 steps.
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HYPOTHESES -- Investigators expect the following:
- Loss Aversion: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain treatment.
- Streak: Subjects in the Gain treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain Streak treatment.
- Loss Streak: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Loss Streak treatment. Whether subjects in the Loss Streak treatment will perform better or worse than subjects in the other two treatments will be investigated.
CONTRIBUTION -- Prior research has not examined the effect of a long term financial incentive (36 weeks) on individual behavior in achieving a goal. In this study, the investigators also examine two additional financial incentive structures: Gain Streak and Loss Streak. If the hypotheses are correct, the results have important implications for designing financial incentives to encourage good behavior and to encourage good habit formation across domains.
- Conditions
- Physical Activity, Weight Loss
- Being tested
- Financial Incentive
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity, Weight Loss
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Financial IncentiveBehavioural
Giving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | Subjects in the Control treatment are not given any financial incentive to achieve the goal. |
| Gain Treatment | Experimental | Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain treatment will earn a certain amount of money for each day the goal is achieved. The money earned will be added to a virtual account that the subject has, and will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. Receives: Behavioral: Financial Incentive |
| Loss Treatment | Experimental | Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. For each day that the subject does not achieve the goal, a small portion of that money will be deducted from the virtual account. The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. Receives: Behavioral: Financial Incentive |
| Gain Streak Treatment | Experimental | Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain Streak treatment get an increasing amount of money added to his/her virtual account for every continuous day that they achieve the goal. The maximum cumulative amount per week is same as in the other treatment conditions. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or if the subject misses the goal on any day. The money in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. Receives: Behavioral: Financial Incentive |
| Loss Streak Treatment | Experimental | Financial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss Streak treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. An increasing amount of money will be deducted for each consecutive day the subject does not achieve the goal. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or when the subject achieves the goal (i.e., deductions are reset when the streak is broken). The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. Receives: Behavioral: Financial Incentive |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Step count goal -- Intervention
Proportion of participant-days on which the goal (baseline +2,500 steps) was achieved during the intervention period.
Measured: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Intervention
Change in mean daily steps during the intervention period.
Measured: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Secondary outcomes (8)
Step count goal -- Post-intervention
Proportion of participant-days on which the goal (baseline +2,500 steps) was achieved during the post-intervention period.
Measured: 12-week post-intervention period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Post-intervention
Change in mean daily steps during the post-intervention period.
Measured: 12-week post-intervention period.
Sleep Pattern -- Intervention
Changes in sleep pattern (deep sleep, hours of continuous sleep) during the intervention period.
Measured: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Sleep Pattern -- Post-intervention
Changes in sleep pattern (deep sleep, hours of continuous sleep) during the post-intervention period.
Measured: 12-week post-intervention period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Intervention
Drop in weight from baseline to the end of the intervention period.
Measured: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Post-intervention
Drop in weight from baseline to the end of the post-intervention period.
Measured: 48-week period following the baseline period.
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Intervention
Change in waist measurements from baseline to the end of the intervention period.
Measured: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Post-intervention
Change in waist measurements from baseline to the end of the post-intervention period.
Measured: 48-week period following the baseline period.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Oct 2017
- Study start9 Oct 2017
- Primary completion17 Jan 2019
- Study completion30 Jan 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Physical ActivityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National University of SingaporeThe 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
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 620 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National University of Singapore
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Pennsylvania
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Prof Ho Teck Hua, National University of Singapore
- Investigators
- Teck H Ho, PhD, Principal investigator, National University of Singapore
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03305172
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SG-STEP
- Status last verified
- Oct 2019
- First submitted
- 26 Sep 2017
- Last updated
- 4 Oct 2019
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Investigators will not be storing or sharing any personal identifiers. All individual level data will be anonymized, and only anonymized data will be shared with other researchers, upon request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Oct 2019. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Structuring Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03305172
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SG-STEP
- Conditions
- Physical Activity, Weight Loss
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 620 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- National University of SingaporeUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Pennsylvania
- Study start
- 9 Oct 2017 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 17 Jan 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jan 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Oct 2017 (actual)
- 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 evaluate the effectiveness of different structures of long term financial incentives on increasing physical activity performed by subjects, as measured by the number of steps walked per day.
Investigators are interested in studying whether physical activity increases during an intervention period (with incentives) and a post-intervention period (with no incentives).
Detailed description
The proposed study is a field experiment. Adults within the ages of 25 and 60 years of age, and with a body mass index of 22 or higher will be eligible to participate.
The study will consist of (1) a two-week baseline period, (2) a 36-week intervention period, and (3) a 12-week follow-up period.
At the beginning of the study, subjects will be given a wearable fitness device and their daily step count will be monitored for two weeks; this is the baseline period. After the two-week baseline period, the subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the five different conditions (Control, Gain, Loss, Gain Streak, or Loss Streak) and will be given the goal to increase their baseline step counts by 2,500 steps.
=====
HYPOTHESES -- Investigators expect the following:
- Loss Aversion: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain treatment.
- Streak: Subjects in the Gain treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Gain Streak treatment.
- Loss Streak: Subjects in the Loss treatment will achieve the goal on a greater number of days than subjects in the Loss Streak treatment. Whether subjects in the Loss Streak treatment will perform better or worse than subjects in the other two treatments will be investigated.
CONTRIBUTION -- Prior research has not examined the effect of a long term financial incentive (36 weeks) on individual behavior in achieving a goal. In this study, the investigators also examine two additional financial incentive structures: Gain Streak and Loss Streak. If the hypotheses are correct, the results have important implications for designing financial incentives to encourage good behavior and to encourage good habit formation across domains.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 5
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –Subjects in the Control treatment are not given any financial incentive to achieve the goal. |
| Gain Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Financial IncentiveFinancial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain treatment will earn a certain amount of money for each day the goal is achieved. The money earned will be added to a virtual account that the subject has, and will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. |
| Loss Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Financial IncentiveFinancial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. For each day that the subject does not achieve the goal, a small portion of that money will be deducted from the virtual account. The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. |
| Gain Streak Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Financial IncentiveFinancial Incentive: Each subject in the Gain Streak treatment get an increasing amount of money added to his/her virtual account for every continuous day that they achieve the goal. The maximum cumulative amount per week is same as in the other treatment conditions. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or if the subject misses the goal on any day. The money in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. |
| Loss Streak Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Financial IncentiveFinancial Incentive: Each subject in the Loss Streak treatment will be given a certain amount of money in his/her virtual account at the beginning of every week. An increasing amount of money will be deducted for each consecutive day the subject does not achieve the goal. The payment is reset at the beginning of each week, or when the subject achieves the goal (i.e., deductions are reset when the streak is broken). The balance that is left in the virtual account will be paid to the subject at the end of the intervention period. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 25 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Singapore citizens and permanent residents
- Adults with BMI greater than 22
- Ownership of a smartphone or tablet
- Only one member per household can participate in the study
Key exclusion criteria (14 listed)
- Women who are pregnant or breast feeding, or who intend to become pregnant over next year
- Subjects who are already participating in another physical activity program or study
- Subjects who are unable to participate for a total of 1 year
- Subjects who are unwilling to wear the fitness device
- Subjects who already walk more than 10,000 steps a day (self-reported per-day-average over seven days)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Financial IncentiveGiving different structures of long term (36 weeks) financial incentives to increase physical activity | Behavioural | Gain Streak Treatment, Gain Treatment, Loss Streak Treatment, Loss Treatment |
Primary outcome
Step count goal -- Intervention
Time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Proportion of participant-days on which the goal (baseline +2,500 steps) was achieved during the intervention period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Intervention
Time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Change in mean daily steps during the intervention period.
8 secondary outcomes
Step count goal -- Post-intervention
Time frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Change in mean daily steps -- Post-intervention
Time frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Sleep Pattern -- Intervention
Time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Sleep Pattern -- Post-intervention
Time frame: 12-week post-intervention period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Intervention
Time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.
Weight (in kilograms) Loss -- Post-intervention
Time frame: 48-week period following the baseline period.
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Intervention
Time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period
Change in Waist Measurement (in inches) -- Post-intervention
Time frame: 48-week period following the baseline period.
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 4 Oct 2019.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Investigators will not be storing or sharing any personal identifiers. All individual level data will be anonymized, and only anonymized data will be shared with other researchers, upon request.
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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.
Teck H Ho, PhD principal investigator
National University of Singapore
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Financial Incentive in people with Physical Activity and Weight Loss, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
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 14 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 4 Oct 2019. 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 Singapore. 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?
Step count goal -- Intervention (time frame: 36-week intervention period following the baseline period.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 4 Oct 2019.