Physical ActivityNCT04942535
STEP Together: An Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Social Incentives and Physical Activity
A study testing Social Incentive Gamification, Social Goals through Incentives to Charity and Daily Performance Feedback in people with Physical Activity, run by Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Higher levels of physical activity have been demonstrated to improve health across a wide range of contexts and reduce cognitive decline as adults become older, but more than half of all adults in the United States do not meet their physical activity goals. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 14 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Physical Activity
- What is being tested?
- Social Incentive Gamification, Social Goals through Incentives to Charity and Daily Performance Feedback
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 779 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 21 Sep 2021to 11 Oct 2025
- 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 14 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Able to read and speak English;
- Has a smartphone or tablet;
- Lives in the Philadelphia area;
- Age 14 or older;
- Able to provide informed consent;
- Enrolled as a member of a 2 to 10 member family team with least one member 60 years or older.
Who cannot join
- Already participating in another physical activity study;
- An 18-month physical activity program is infeasible (e.g., metastatic cancer, unable to ambulate or provide informed consent) or unsafe (currently pregnant or told by a physician not to exercise);
- Do not have sufficient eyesight or dexterity to operate device;
- Average step count greater than 7,500 steps/day during the run-in period.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: STEP Together: A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Social Incentives Strategies to Increase Physical Activity
Higher levels of physical activity have been demonstrated to improve health across a wide range of contexts and reduce cognitive decline as adults become older, but more than half of all adults in the United States do not meet their physical activity goals. One type of physical activity that is broadly applicable to people of all ages is walking. This study will use a Hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation design to adapt and test the effectiveness of two successful social incentive-based interventions, a gamification strategy and financial incentives donated to charity on the participants behalf, to increase physical activity among low-income, mostly minority families in community settings.
- Conditions
- Physical Activity
- Being tested
- Social Incentive Gamification, Social Goals through Incentives to Charity, Daily Performance Feedback
- Keywords
- Physical Activity, Older Adults, Gamification, Social Incentives, Charity, Family
- 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 Incentive GamificationBehavioural
Participants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count.
Each participant signs a pre-commitment contract. Participants are entered into a game with their family members. Each family receives 70 points weekly. Each day, a family member is selected at random to represent the family. If that person's step goal was achieved, the family keeps its points; if not, they lose 10 points. The participant is notified the following day if they were the family rep.
At the end of the week, if the family has 40 points or more, they advance 1 level. If they have less than 40 points, the family drops down 1 level. Each family team starts in the middle of 5 levels.
At the end of the intervention, families in the top 2 levels receive a small gift.
In the 6 month follow-up, participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day.
Social Goals through Incentives to CharityBehavioural
Participants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count.
Families select a charity at the beginning of the intervention. They are informed that $20 is available each week to be donated to a charity of their choice. Each day, a family member is selected at random to represent the family. If that person's step goal was achieved, the family gets credit for meeting their goal; if not, the entire family does not get credit. The participant is notified the following day if they were the family rep.
If the family achieves their goal on at least 4 of 7 days in a week, $20 is donated to charity.
In the 6 month follow-up, participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day.
Daily Performance FeedbackBehavioural
Participants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count.
Participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Social Incentive Gamification | Experimental | Each participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal.
Participants in this arm receive the Social Incentive Gamification intervention during the 12 month intervention and Daily Performance Feedback during the 6 month follow up. Receives: Behavioral: Social Incentive Gamification; Behavioral: Daily Performance Feedback |
| Social Goals through Incentives to Charity | Experimental | Each participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal.
Participants in this arm receive the Social Goals through Incentives to Charity intervention during the 12 month intervention and Daily Performance Feedback during the 6 month follow up. Receives: Behavioral: Social Goals through Incentives to Charity; Behavioral: Daily Performance Feedback |
| Control | Active comparator | Each participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal.
Participants in this arm receive Daily Performance Feedback during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up. Receives: Behavioral: Daily Performance Feedback |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in mean daily step counts during the 12 month intervention
Change in mean daily steps from baseline to the end of the 12 month intervention period. Steps will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-12
Secondary outcomes (5)
Change in mean daily step counts during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Change in mean daily steps from baseline to the end of the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up. Steps will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-18
Change in mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 12 month intervention
Change in mean daily minutes of MVPA from baseline to the end of the 12 month intervention period. Minutes of MVPA will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-12
Change in mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Change in mean daily minutes of MVPA from baseline to the end of the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up. Minutes of MVPA will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-18
Difference in proportion of weeks physical activity guidelines were achieved during the 12 month intervention
Difference between study arms in the proportion of weeks that physical activity guidelines (150 minutes per week of MVPA) were achieved. Minutes of MVPA will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-12
Difference in proportion of weeks physical activity guidelines were achieved during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Difference between study arms in the proportion of weeks that physical activity guidelines (150 minutes per week of MVPA) were achieved. Minutes of MVPA will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
Measured: Months 1-18
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jun 2021
- Study start21 Sep 2021
- Primary completion4 Apr 2025
- Study completion11 Oct 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Physical ActivityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Abramson Cancer Center at Penn MedicineThe 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 779 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, University of Pennsylvania
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04942535
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 02022
- Other IDs
- 1R01HL152430, 842677
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 17 Jun 2021
- Last updated
- 7 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be made available.
Publications
Scheffey K, Aronson J, Goncalves Y, Greysen SR, Iwu A, Kwong PL, Nezir F, Small D, Glanz K. Design and baseline characteristics of an implementation study to increase activity with social incentives: The STEP together trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Jun;153:107909. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107909. Epub 2025 Apr 10.
PubMed 40216076
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- STEP Together: A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Social Incentives Strategies to Increase Physical Activity
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04942535
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 02022
- Conditions
- Physical Activity
- Keywords
- Physical Activity, Older Adults, Gamification, Social Incentives, Charity, Family
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 779 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Abramson Cancer Center at Penn MedicineUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Study start
- 21 Sep 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 4 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 11 Oct 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Jun 2021 (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.
Higher levels of physical activity have been demonstrated to improve health across a wide range of contexts and reduce cognitive decline as adults become older, but more than half of all adults in the United States do not meet their physical activity goals. One type of physical activity that is broadly applicable to people of all ages is walking. This study will use a Hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation design to adapt and test the effectiveness of two successful social incentive-based interventions, a gamification strategy and financial incentives donated to charity on the participants behalf, to increase physical activity among low-income, mostly minority families in community settings.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Social Incentive Gamification | Experimental | Behavioral: Social Incentive Gamification, Behavioral: Daily Performance FeedbackEach participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal. Participants in this arm receive the Social Incentive Gamification intervention during the 12 month intervention and Daily Performance Feedback during the 6 month follow up. |
| Social Goals through Incentives to Charity | Experimental | Behavioral: Social Goals through Incentives to Charity, Behavioral: Daily Performance FeedbackEach participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal. Participants in this arm receive the Social Goals through Incentives to Charity intervention during the 12 month intervention and Daily Performance Feedback during the 6 month follow up. |
| Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Daily Performance FeedbackEach participant is enrolled as part of a family team. Each participant wears a Fitbit every day and strives to achieve their daily step goal. Participants in this arm receive Daily Performance Feedback during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 14 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Able to read and speak English;
- Has a smartphone or tablet;
- Lives in the Philadelphia area;
- Age 14 or older;
- Able to provide informed consent;
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Already participating in another physical activity study;
- An 18-month physical activity program is infeasible (e.g., metastatic cancer, unable to ambulate or provide informed consent) or unsafe (currently pregnant or told by a physician not to exercise);
- Do not have sufficient eyesight or dexterity to operate device;
- Average step count greater than 7,500 steps/day during the run-in period.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Social Incentive GamificationParticipants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count. Each participant signs a pre-commitment contract. Participants are entered into a game with their family members. Each family receives 70 points weekly. Each day, a family member is selected at random to represent the family. If that person's step goal was achieved, the family keeps its points; if not, they lose 10 points. The participant is notified the following day if they were the family rep. At the end of the week, if the family has 40 points or more, they advance 1 level. If they have less than 40 points, the family drops down 1 level. Each family team starts in the middle of 5 levels. At the end of the intervention, families in the top 2 levels receive a small gift. In the 6 month follow-up, participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day. | Behavioural | Social Incentive Gamification |
| Social Goals through Incentives to CharityParticipants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count. Families select a charity at the beginning of the intervention. They are informed that $20 is available each week to be donated to a charity of their choice. Each day, a family member is selected at random to represent the family. If that person's step goal was achieved, the family gets credit for meeting their goal; if not, the entire family does not get credit. The participant is notified the following day if they were the family rep. If the family achieves their goal on at least 4 of 7 days in a week, $20 is donated to charity. In the 6 month follow-up, participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day. | Behavioural | Social Goals through Incentives to Charity |
| Daily Performance FeedbackParticipants enroll as a family team. They are asked to use a Fitbit activity tracker daily. Each participant sets a daily step goal based on their baseline step count. Participants receive a daily text message stating whether or not they achieved their step goal on the prior day. | Behavioural | Control, Social Goals through Incentives to Charity, Social Incentive Gamification |
Primary outcome
Change in mean daily step counts during the 12 month intervention
Time frame: Months 1-12
Change in mean daily steps from baseline to the end of the 12 month intervention period. Steps will be measured using the Fitbit Inspire 2 wearable device.
5 secondary outcomes
Change in mean daily step counts during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Time frame: Months 1-18
Change in mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 12 month intervention
Time frame: Months 1-12
Change in mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Time frame: Months 1-18
Difference in proportion of weeks physical activity guidelines were achieved during the 12 month intervention
Time frame: Months 1-12
Difference in proportion of weeks physical activity guidelines were achieved during the 12 month intervention and 6 month follow up
Time frame: Months 1-18
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 7 Apr 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40216076Scheffey K, Aronson J, Goncalves Y, Greysen SR, Iwu A, Kwong PL, Nezir F, Small D, Glanz K. Design and baseline characteristics of an implementation study to increase activity with social incentives: The STEP together trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Jun;153:107909. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107909. Epub 2025 Apr 10.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be made available.
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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.
Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH principal investigator
University of Pennsylvania
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Social Incentive Gamification, Social Goals through Incentives to Charity and Daily Performance Feedback in people with Physical Activity, run by Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine 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 6 inclusion and 4 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 7 Apr 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?
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?
Change in mean daily step counts during the 12 month intervention (time frame: Months 1-12). 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 NCT04942535, 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 7 Apr 2026.