Physical InactivityNCT06597890
Move@NUS: a Digital Intervention Cohort Promoting Healthy Movement Behaviours
A study testing educational content (sleep hygiene), sleep hygiene strategies and reminders in people with Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior, run by National University of Singapore.
Trial summary
The aim of the Move@NUS pilot study is to determine the feasibility of establishing a digital intervention cohort to monitor and improve the health and wellbeing of students by encouraging them to engage in healthy movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sleep, and limiting smartphone-based recreational… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Physical Inactivity, Sedentary Behavior, Sleep Insufficiency
- What is being tested?
- educational content (sleep hygiene), sleep hygiene strategies and reminders
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 150 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 9 Sep 2024to 28 Feb 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 18 to 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Participants are eligible to join the study if they:
- are enrolled in the first year of an undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore,
- own or use an Apple smartphone with a data plan,
- are willing to download and use a smartphone app, and
- have an Apple smartwatch (Series 6/SE or newer) and are willing to wear it continuously for the 6-month study duration.
Participants will be excluded if they are:
- pregnant, or
- planning to be overseas for more than 6 weeks (per trip) during the upcoming semester.
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet.
About this study
Official title: Move@NUS: Pilot Study of a Digital Intervention Cohort to Promote Healthy Sleep, Screen Viewing, and Physical Activity Habits for Improved Health and Wellbeing
The aim of the Move@NUS pilot study is to determine the feasibility of establishing a digital intervention cohort to monitor and improve the health and wellbeing of students by encouraging them to engage in healthy movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sleep, and limiting smartphone-based recreational screentime).
The digital intervention cohort consists of:
- 6-months of continuous monitoring of movement behaviours, wellbeing and related factors via an Apple Watch and repeated bursts of ecological momentary assessments (EMAs).
- 3x embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of small-scale smartphone-based interventions designed to nudge participants toward participating in healthier movement behaviours.
Read the detailed description
Good overall mental and physical health and wellbeing can be promoted by engaging in healthy movement behaviours - getting adequate sleep, being physically active, and minimising recreational time spent watching a screen or being sedentary. The objectives of this study are to determine the feasibility of:
- establishing a digital cohort study and continuously monitoring health behaviours and wellbeing (and related factors) for 6 months, and
- rapidly evaluating the effects of ecological momentary interventions (EMIs; small-scale interventions that provide support in real-time, delivered via the smartwatch and app) for promoting healthy movement behaviours via a series of embedded RCTs.
The investigators will enrol up to 150 first-year university students into an innovative hybrid study that combines a digital cohort with embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The digital cohort consists of 6 months of continuous observations of movement behaviours, wellbeing, and related factors via a smartwatch (Apple Watch) and repeated bursts of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys. Throughout the 6-month monitoring period, participants are enrolled in 3 embedded RCTs evaluating the effects of EMIs that, in turn, target sleep, physical activity, and smartphone-based recreational screentime. For each embedded-RCT we assess engagement and acceptability outcomes (e.g., whether a push notification is opened, whether it is responded to), and preliminary efficacy (i.e., whether there is a between group difference in the target behaviour from pre- to post-intervention). Participants also complete traditional questionnaires at baseline, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.
- Being tested
- educational content (sleep hygiene), sleep hygiene strategies, reminders, review of behavioural goal, educational content (sleep guidelines)
- Keywords
- smartphone, smartwatch, Apple Watch, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), ecological momentary intervention (EMI), mhealth, digital health
- Medical subject headings
- Sedentary Behavior, Sleep Deprivation, Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
educational content (sleep hygiene)Behavioural
app-based sleep hygiene-related educational content
sleep hygiene strategiesBehavioural
app-based self-selection of sleep hygiene strategies
remindersBehavioural
daily reminders sent via push notifications
review of behavioural goalBehavioural
app-based review of behavioural goal
educational content (sleep guidelines)Behavioural
app-based educational content on recommended sleep guidelines
comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviourBehavioural
use of smartwatch/smartphone data to assess current behaviour and compare it to ideal behaviour
goal settingBehavioural
prompt participant to set a goal in relation to targeted behaviour
educational content (Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA))Behavioural
app-based educational content on VILPA
screentime breaksBehavioural
repeated daily reminders to break up screentime
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| RCT 1 - group 1 | Experimental | Sleep Hygiene Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) Receives: Behavioral: educational content (sleep hygiene); Behavioral: sleep hygiene strategies; Behavioral: reminders; Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: goal setting |
| RCT 1 - group 2 | Experimental | Personalised Sleep Guideline EMI Receives: Behavioral: reminders; Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: educational content (sleep guidelines); Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour; Behavioral: goal setting |
| RCT 1 - group 3 | No intervention | Control |
| RCT 2 - group 1 | Experimental | Stair Climbing EMI Receives: Behavioral: reminders; Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour; Behavioral: goal setting |
| RCT 2 - group 2 | Experimental | Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA) EMI Receives: Behavioral: reminders; Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: goal setting; Behavioral: educational content (Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA)) |
| RCT 2 - group 3 | No intervention | Control |
| RCT 3 - group 1 | Experimental | Screentime Breaktime EMI Receives: Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour; Behavioral: screentime breaks |
| RCT 3 - group 2 | Experimental | Screentime Goal EMI Receives: Behavioral: reminders; Behavioral: review of behavioural goal; Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour; Behavioral: goal setting |
| RCT 3 - group 3 | No intervention | Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
RCT 1. Sleep
Sleep duration, as assessed via Apple Watch
Measured: week 1 (pre-intervention), week 3 (intervention midpoint), week 5 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
RCT 2. Physical activity
Step counts, as assessed via Apple Watch
Measured: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
RCT 2. Physical activity
Flights of stairs climbed, as assessed via Apple Watch
Measured: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
RCT 2. Physical activity
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, as assessed via Apple Watch
Measured: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
RCT 3. Screentime
Screenshots of passively captured smartphone screentime data
Measured: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Wellbeing
Mental wellbeing, WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5; World Health Organisation). Min value 0, max value 100; higher scores indicate greater wellbeing.
Measured: Continuously over 6-months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Sep 2024
- Study start9 Sep 2024 (estimated)
- Primary completion28 Feb 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion28 Feb 2025 (estimated)
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 InactivityStudies 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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- 3x sequential 3-group randomised controlled trials (RCTs), embedded within the 6-month digital cohort study.
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 150 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National University of Singapore
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dr Falk Mueller-Riemenschneider, National University of Singapore
- Investigators
- Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, PhD, Principal investigator, National University of Singapore
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06597890
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NUS-IRB-2023-800
- Status last verified
- Sep 2024
- First submitted
- 30 Aug 2024
- Last updated
- 19 Sep 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Chen M, Movia M, Chua XH, Tan SYX, Zheng S, Jin K, Topothai T, Padmapriya N, Muller-Riemenschneider F, Edney S. MOVE@NUS digital intervention cohort: protocol of a pilot study to promote healthy movement in university students. J Act Sedentary Sleep Behav. 2026 Feb 12;5(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s44167-026-00097-z.
PubMed 41680943
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 Sep 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Move@NUS: Pilot Study of a Digital Intervention Cohort to Promote Healthy Sleep, Screen Viewing, and Physical Activity Habits for Improved Health and Wellbeing
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06597890
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NUS-IRB-2023-800
- Keywords
- smartphone, smartwatch, Apple Watch, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), ecological momentary intervention (EMI), mhealth, digital health
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 150 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- National University of SingaporeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Sep 2024 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 28 Feb 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 28 Feb 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Sep 2024 (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 aim of the Move@NUS pilot study is to determine the feasibility of establishing a digital intervention cohort to monitor and improve the health and wellbeing of students by encouraging them to engage in healthy movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sleep, and limiting smartphone-based recreational screentime).
The digital intervention cohort consists of:
- 6-months of continuous monitoring of movement behaviours, wellbeing and related factors via an Apple Watch and repeated bursts of ecological momentary assessments (EMAs).
- 3x embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of small-scale smartphone-based interventions designed to nudge participants toward participating in healthier movement behaviours.
Detailed description
Good overall mental and physical health and wellbeing can be promoted by engaging in healthy movement behaviours - getting adequate sleep, being physically active, and minimising recreational time spent watching a screen or being sedentary. The objectives of this study are to determine the feasibility of:
- establishing a digital cohort study and continuously monitoring health behaviours and wellbeing (and related factors) for 6 months, and
- rapidly evaluating the effects of ecological momentary interventions (EMIs; small-scale interventions that provide support in real-time, delivered via the smartwatch and app) for promoting healthy movement behaviours via a series of embedded RCTs.
The investigators will enrol up to 150 first-year university students into an innovative hybrid study that combines a digital cohort with embedded randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The digital cohort consists of 6 months of continuous observations of movement behaviours, wellbeing, and related factors via a smartwatch (Apple Watch) and repeated bursts of smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys. Throughout the 6-month monitoring period, participants are enrolled in 3 embedded RCTs evaluating the effects of EMIs that, in turn, target sleep, physical activity, and smartphone-based recreational screentime. For each embedded-RCT we assess engagement and acceptability outcomes (e.g., whether a push notification is opened, whether it is responded to), and preliminary efficacy (i.e., whether there is a between group difference in the target behaviour from pre- to post-intervention). Participants also complete traditional questionnaires at baseline, 3-, and 6-month follow-up.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 9
- Model description
- 3x sequential 3-group randomised controlled trials (RCTs), embedded within the 6-month digital cohort study.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| RCT 1 - group 1 | Experimental | Behavioral: educational content (sleep hygiene), Behavioral: sleep hygiene strategies, Behavioral: reminders, Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: goal settingSleep Hygiene Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) |
| RCT 1 - group 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: reminders, Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: educational content (sleep guidelines), Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour, Behavioral: goal settingPersonalised Sleep Guideline EMI |
| RCT 1 - group 3 | No intervention | –Control |
| RCT 2 - group 1 | Experimental | Behavioral: reminders, Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour, Behavioral: goal settingStair Climbing EMI |
| RCT 2 - group 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: reminders, Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: goal setting, Behavioral: educational content (Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA))Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA) EMI |
| RCT 2 - group 3 | No intervention | –Control |
| RCT 3 - group 1 | Experimental | Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour, Behavioral: screentime breaksScreentime Breaktime EMI |
| RCT 3 - group 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: reminders, Behavioral: review of behavioural goal, Behavioral: comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviour, Behavioral: goal settingScreentime Goal EMI |
| RCT 3 - group 3 | No intervention | –Control |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
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 |
|---|---|---|
| educational content (sleep hygiene)app-based sleep hygiene-related educational content | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 1 |
| sleep hygiene strategiesapp-based self-selection of sleep hygiene strategies | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 1 |
| remindersdaily reminders sent via push notifications | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 1, RCT 1 - group 2, RCT 2 - group 1, RCT 2 - group 2, RCT 3 - group 2 |
| review of behavioural goalapp-based review of behavioural goal | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 1, RCT 1 - group 2, RCT 2 - group 1, RCT 2 - group 2, RCT 3 - group 1, RCT 3 - group 2 |
| educational content (sleep guidelines)app-based educational content on recommended sleep guidelines | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 2 |
| comparison of current behaviour to ideal behaviouruse of smartwatch/smartphone data to assess current behaviour and compare it to ideal behaviour | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 2, RCT 2 - group 1, RCT 3 - group 1, RCT 3 - group 2 |
| goal settingprompt participant to set a goal in relation to targeted behaviour | Behavioural | RCT 1 - group 1, RCT 1 - group 2, RCT 2 - group 1, RCT 2 - group 2, RCT 3 - group 2 |
| educational content (Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA))app-based educational content on VILPA | Behavioural | RCT 2 - group 2 |
| screentime breaksrepeated daily reminders to break up screentime | Behavioural | RCT 3 - group 1 |
Primary outcome
RCT 1. Sleep
Time frame: week 1 (pre-intervention), week 3 (intervention midpoint), week 5 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Sleep duration, as assessed via Apple Watch
RCT 2. Physical activity
Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Step counts, as assessed via Apple Watch
RCT 2. Physical activity
Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Flights of stairs climbed, as assessed via Apple Watch
RCT 2. Physical activity
Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, as assessed via Apple Watch
RCT 3. Screentime
Time frame: week 6 (pre-intervention), week 8 (intervention midpoint), week 10 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study
Screenshots of passively captured smartphone screentime data
Wellbeing
Time frame: Continuously over 6-months
Mental wellbeing, WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5; World Health Organisation). Min value 0, max value 100; higher scores indicate greater wellbeing.
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 Sep 2024.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41680943Chen M, Movia M, Chua XH, Tan SYX, Zheng S, Jin K, Topothai T, Padmapriya N, Muller-Riemenschneider F, Edney S. MOVE@NUS digital intervention cohort: protocol of a pilot study to promote healthy movement in university students. J Act Sedentary Sleep Behav. 2026 Feb 12;5(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s44167-026-00097-z.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, PhD principal investigator
National University of Singapore
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing educational content (sleep hygiene), sleep hygiene strategies and reminders in people with Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior, run by National University of Singapore.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Sep 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Sarah M Edney, PhD (+6591709231, sarah.edney@mymail.unisa.edu.au), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
RCT 1. Sleep (time frame: week 1 (pre-intervention), week 3 (intervention midpoint), week 5 (post-intervention), and continuously throughout the 6-month study). The study lists 6 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 NCT06597890, 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 19 Sep 2024.