Back to Search
Start Over
Effect of a Game-Based Intervention Designed to Enhance Social Incentives to Increase Physical Activity Among Families: The BE FIT Randomized Clinical Trial
- Source :
- JAMA internal medicine. 177(11)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Gamification, the application of game design elements such as points and levels in nongame contexts, is often used in digital health interventions, but evidence on its effectiveness is limited.To test the effectiveness of a gamification intervention designed using insights from behavioral economics to enhance social incentives within families to increase physical activity.The Behavioral Economics Framingham Incentive Trial (BE FIT) was a randomized clinical trial with a 12-week intervention period and a 12-week follow-up period. The investigation was a community-based study between December 7, 2015, and August 14, 2016. Participants in the modified intent-to-treat analysis were adults enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-standing cohort of families.All participants tracked daily step counts using a wearable device or a smartphone, established a baseline, selected a step goal increase, and received daily individual feedback on goal performance by text message or email for 24 weeks. Families in the gamification arm could earn points and progress through levels based on physical activity goal achievement during the 12-week intervention. The game design was meant to enhance collaboration, accountability, and peer support.The primary outcome was the proportion of participant-days that step goals were achieved during the intervention period. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of participant-days that step goals were achieved during the follow-up period and the change in the mean daily steps during the intervention and follow-up periods.Among 200 adults comprising 94 families, the mean age was 55.4 years, and 56.0% (n = 112) were female. During the intervention period, participants in the gamification arm achieved step goals on a significantly greater proportion of participant-days (0.53 vs 0.32; adjusted difference, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.20-0.33; P .001) and had a significantly greater increase in the mean daily steps compared with baseline (1661 vs 636; adjusted difference, 953; 95% CI, 505-1401; P .001) than the control arm. During the follow-up period, physical activity in the gamification arm declined but remained significantly greater than that in the control arm for the proportion of participant-days achieving step goals (0.44 vs 0.33; adjusted difference, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.05-0.19; P .001) and the mean daily steps compared with baseline (1385 vs 798; adjusted difference, 494; 95% CI, 170-818; P .01).Gamification designed to leverage insights from behavioral economics to enhance social incentives significantly increased physical activity among families in the community.clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02531763.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Psychological intervention
Monitoring, Ambulatory
Walking
030204 cardiovascular system & hematology
Peer support
law.invention
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Framingham Heart Study
Randomized controlled trial
law
Intervention (counseling)
Internal Medicine
medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Exercise
Original Investigation
Family Health
Motivation
Framingham Risk Score
business.industry
Middle Aged
Mobile Applications
Digital health
Games, Experimental
Video Games
Cohort
Physical therapy
Female
business
Goals
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 21686114 and 02531763
- Volume :
- 177
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- JAMA internal medicine
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5477f9a574a0be1c2b3c558d4663d094