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Mental Health DisorderNCT05638516

Improving Mental Health in Youth and Lowering Risk for Obesity Through a Digital Preventative Product

A study testing Vira mobile app intervention and Vira mobile app intervention + coaching in people with Mental Health Disorder and Obesity, run by Ksana Health 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

The goal of this study is to test the feasibility and utilization of a redesigned mobile app and health coaching platform (Vira) in youth (aged 18-25 years) with elevated depressive symptoms who are overweight/obese and/or self-report parental history of overweight/obesity. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 25 years
Conditions the study is for
Mental Health Disorder, Obesity, Overweight
What is being tested?
Vira mobile app intervention and Vira mobile app intervention + coaching
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
73 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
7 Nov 2022to 6 May 2023
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 to 25 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age 18-25
  • Live in the United States
  • English fluency and literacy
  • Have access to an Android or iOS device
  • Elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-8 score of 10 or above)
  • Overweight (BMI of 25 or above) OR reporting a parental history of overweight or obesity

Who cannot join

  • Previous participation in this study
  • Major mental or physical illness that will interfere with completing intervention and/or assessment activities.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Ksana Health

    Eugene, Oregon, 97401

Other trials in United States

About this study

The goal of this study is to test the feasibility and utilization of a redesigned mobile app and health coaching platform (Vira) in youth (aged 18-25 years) with elevated depressive symptoms who are overweight/obese and/or self-report parental history of overweight/obesity.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will use the Vira mobile app intervention with support from a health coach, and the other group will use the Vira mobile app intervention without coaching. Both groups will use the app for 12 weeks.

Read the detailed description

The primary aim of this project is to examine the feasibility and utilization of a redesigned mobile app and health coaching platform (Vira) in a 2 x 2 (gender x condition) designed pilot study in a sample of 100 youth (18-25 years old) with (1) elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-8 score ≥10) and (2) overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25 and/or reporting a parental history of overweight/obesity). The study will examine the feasibility and utilization of the mobile app intervention with coaching compared to that of the mobile app intervention without coaching.

This is an exploratory pilot study; therefore, no formal sample size calculation was conducted. It is anticipated that 1,000 individuals will be screened, of which 20% will be eligible, and that 50% of those eligible will agree to participate (final N = 100, 50 per arm).

Being tested
Vira mobile app intervention, Vira mobile app intervention + coaching
Medical subject headings
Mental Disorders, Obesity, Overweight

What participants receive

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

  • Vira mobile app interventionBehavioural

    The Vira app is installed on the participant's phone. The app passively collects data from phone sensors (i.e., measures of physical activity, sleep patterns, mobility, and language patterns reflecting mood states and cognition) that are indicative of risk-relevant behavioral patterns and psychological states. It also so prompts users to answer a daily check in question. Mobile sensing data are processed to provide an automated assessment of the user's functioning. Users will be asked to use Vira for 12 weeks.

  • Vira mobile app intervention + coachingBehavioural

    The Vira app can also be supported by a health coach. The health coach interacts with the user (via an instant messaging platform) and who also schedules just-in-time reminders (i.e., "nudges") to arrive in the user's phone at scheduled times to support their behavior change plan. The Vira Health Coach Platform therefore integrates mobile sensing, self-report assessment, and just-in-time nudges and notifications into the coach's workflow.

Study groups in NCT05638516
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Vira Self-CareExperimentalThe Vira app is installed on the participant's phone. The app passively collects data from phone sensors (i.e., measures of physical activity, sleep patterns, mobility, and language patterns reflecting mood states and cognition) that are indicative of risk-relevant behavioral patterns and psychological states. It also so prompts users to answer a daily check in question. Mobile sensing data are processed to provide an automated assessment of the user's functioning. Users will be asked to use Vira for 12 weeks. The Vira app can be used as a standalone product. After an initial 10-day period, during which the app assesses the relationship between the user's patterns of behavior and their day-to-day variations in mental health and wellbeing using passive mobile sensing, the user is able to access a personalized behavior change goal that is support by in app information and functionality.
Receives: Behavioral: Vira mobile app intervention
Vira + CoachingExperimentalThe Vira app can also be supported by a health coach. The health coach interacts with the user (via an instant messaging platform) and who also schedules just-in-time reminders (i.e., "nudges") to arrive in the user's phone at scheduled times to support their behavior change plan. The Vira Health Coach Platform therefore integrates mobile sensing, self-report assessment, and just-in-time nudges and notifications into the coach's workflow.
Receives: Behavioral: Vira mobile app intervention + coaching

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in depressive symptoms

    Pre- to post-intervention changes in depressive symptoms will be assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) an 8-item participant-report measure for screening for depression and for establishing depression severity. The total score ranges from 0-24, with a higher score indicating greater depression symptom severity.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  2. Number of active days in the Vira mobile app intervention and health coaching platform

    To measure feasibility of implementation, the total number of active days using Vira during the study will be objectively collected via the Vira platform.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  3. Number of features used

    To measure feasibility of implementation, the total number of features used during the study will be objectively collected via the Vira platform.

    Measured: 12 weeks

  4. Acceptability of the mobile app intervention

    Acceptability of the mobile app intervention and health coaching platform will be assessed using 11 items adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model. Scores range from 11 to 77, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.

    Measured: 12 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted6 Dec 2022
  2. Study start7 Nov 2022
  3. Primary completion6 May 2023
  4. Study completion6 May 2023

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
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
73 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05638516
Sponsor's protocol ID
OV-001
Status last verified
May 2023
First submitted
23 Nov 2022
Last updated
18 May 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Weiner LS, Crowley RN, Sheeber LB, Koegler FH, Davis JF, Wells M, Funkhouser CJ, Auerbach RP, Allen NB. Engagement, Acceptability, and Effectiveness of the Self-Care and Coach-Supported Versions of the Vira Digital Behavior Change Platform Among Young Adults at Risk for Depression and Obesity: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2024 Sep 19;11:e51366. doi: 10.2196/51366.

    PubMed 39298763

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Vira mobile app intervention and Vira mobile app intervention + coaching in people with Mental Health Disorder and Obesity, run by Ksana Health 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 2 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 18 May 2023. 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 depressive symptoms (time frame: 12 weeks). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT05638516, 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 18 May 2023.

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