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AgingCHALLENGENCT04095923

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

A study testing Social media game and Standard self-regulation in people with Aging, run by The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial 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. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 to 85 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Aging
What is being tested?
Social media game and Standard self-regulation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
300 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
1 Dec 2019to 6 Mar 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 65 to 85 years
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Female
  • Age between 65 and 85
  • Able to read and understand English
  • Willingness to be randomized to any condition
  • Daily availability of an iOS or Android mobile device that is capable of taking and sending photos
  • Willingness to use a private Facebook group
  • Sufficient internet access to post photos to Facebook at least once per week
  • Having an existing Facebook account or willingness to create one

Who cannot join

  • Unable to find transportation to the study location
  • Unable to walk for exercise (self-report)
  • Walk <475 meters in 6 minute walk test during baseline assessment
  • Stroke, hip fracture, hip or knee replacement, or spinal surgery in the past 6 months
  • Participant answered "yes" to any question on the PAR-Q+ and does not provide a doctor's note giving permission to begin a physical activity program
  • Self-reported weekly PA ≥ 150 minutes
Show all 13Show fewer
  • BMI under 18 or over 40
  • Participant reports psychological issues that would interfere with study completion. Examples will be provided to illustrate potential psychological issues, such as dementia or schizophrenia.
  • Participant plans to move away from the Galveston-Houston area or to be out of town for more than 2 weeks at a time during the study period
  • Clinical judgment concerning safety
  • Currently participating in an organized commercial or research physical activity program
  • Uses a wearable activity monitor other than a simple pedometer and is unwilling to stop during the trial
  • Another member of the household is a participant or staff member on this trial

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • The University of Texas Medical Branch

    Galveston, Texas, 77550

Other trials in United States

About this study

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.

Read the 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
Being tested
Social media game, Standard self-regulation
Keywords
Physical activity, Social media, Wearable, Intrinsic motivation, Game, Women's health
Medical subject headings
Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Social media gameBehavioural

    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.

  • Standard self-regulationBehavioural

    Participants will track their steps using a wearable activity monitor and receive brief standard self-regulatory counseling.

Study groups in NCT04095923
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Social media gameExperimentalPrivate Facebook group with weekly walking challenges, Fitbit wearable activity monitor, and brief counseling
Receives: Behavioral: Social media game
Standard self-regulationActive comparatorFitbit wearable activity monitor and brief counseling
Receives: Behavioral: Standard self-regulation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Walking Physical Activity as Measured by Daily Steps at 12 Months

    Mean of daily steps taken from accelerometers worn for a 7 day period

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (11)

  1. Walking Physical Activity as Measured by Daily Steps at 6 Months

    Mean of daily steps taken from accelerometers worn for a 7 day period

    Measured: 6 months

  2. Walking Physical Activity as Measured by Daily Steps at 18 Months

    Mean of daily steps taken from accelerometers worn for a 7 day period

    Measured: 18 months

  3. Intrinsic Regulation

    Self-reported intrinsic regulation on a scale from 0 (least motivated) to 4 (most motivated) using the intrinsic regulation subscale of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire - 3. Higher scores are considered representative of greater amounts of intrinsic regulation.

    Measured: 6 months

  4. Integrated Regulation

    Self-reported integrated regulation on a scale from 0 (least motivated) to 4 (most motivated) using the integrated regulation subscale of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire - 3. Higher scores are considered representative of greater amounts of integrated regulation.

    Measured: 6 months

  5. Autonomous Regulation

    Composite of subscales for intrinsic, integrated, and identified regulation as measured on a scale from 0 (least motivated) to 4 (most motivated) using the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire - 3. Subscales were averaged to produce the composite score. Higher scores are considered representative of greater amounts of autonomous regulation.

    Measured: 6 months

  6. Basic Psychological Needs - Autonomy

    Perceptions of autonomy on a scale from 1 (don't agree) to 5 (completely agree) using the autonomy subscale of the Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale. Higher scores are considered representative of greater perceptions of autonomy.

    Measured: 6 months

  7. Physical Activity as Measured by Minutes of Moderate-vigorous Intensity Physical Activity at 6 Months

    Mean daily minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity taken from accelerometers for a 7 day period

    Measured: 6 months

  8. Physical Activity as Measured by Minutes of Moderate-vigorous Intensity Physical Activity at 12 Months

    Mean daily minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity taken from accelerometers for a 7 day period

    Measured: 12 months

  9. Physical Activity as Measured by Minutes of Moderate-vigorous Intensity Physical Activity at 18 Months

    Mean daily minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity taken from accelerometers for a 7 day period

    Measured: 18 months

  10. Basic Psychological Needs - Competence

    Perceptions of competence on a scale from 1 (don't agree) to 5 (completely agree) using the competence subscale of the Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale. Higher scores are considered representative of greater amounts of perceived competence.

    Measured: 6 months

  11. Basic Psychological Needs - Relatedness

    Perceptions of relatedness on a scale from 1 (don't agree) to 5 (completely agree) using the relatedness subscale of the Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale. Higher scores are considered representative of greater relatedness.

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted19 Sep 2019
  2. Study start1 Dec 2019
  3. Primary completion13 Aug 2025
  4. Study completion6 Mar 2026

Resources

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
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
300 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04095923
Sponsor's protocol ID
19-0158
Other IDs
R01AG064092
Acronym
CHALLENGE
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
17 Sep 2019
Last updated
8 Oct 2026
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The investigators will provide access to all data, regardless of publication, collected as a part of this project. All external investigators must submit a written request identifying their research question(s) and specifying the data they would like to analyze. The request must include a data security plan and explanation of how the data will be stored and who will have access. All requests will be reviewed by the investigators in conjunction with UTMB's Institute for Translational Sciences key resources (in particular, the regulatory and ethics resources) to be sure appropriate NIH requirements are followed.

Publications

  • Robertson MC, Swartz MC, Basen-Engquist KM, Li Y, Jennings K, Thompson D, Baranowski T, Volpi E, Lyons EJ. A social media game to increase physical activity among older adult women: protocol of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate CHALLENGE. BMC Public Health. 2024 Aug 12;24(1):2172. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19662-9.

    PubMed 39135010

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Social media game and Standard self-regulation in people with Aging, run by The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston at 1 site in United States.

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 8 inclusion and 13 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 8 Oct 2026. 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 United States. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 8 Oct 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Walking Physical Activity as Measured by Daily Steps at 12 Months (time frame: 12 months). 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 NCT04095923, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 8 Oct 2026.

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