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CompletedNCT02850770Updated Mar 13, 2017

Physical Activity and Social Support Prompting Via Phone Messaging

An interventional study of Pedometers and Walking Logs and Phone Messaging in Physical Activity, sponsored by University of Southern California. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-03-13.

Sponsored by University of Southern California · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
42
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility, perceived usefulness, and potential effectiveness of a short text or voice message intervention to activate 1) physical activity behavior change among low-income, urban, Latino patients in diabetes management and 2) supportive behaviors by family members or close friends.

Read the detailed description

Despite the promise of phone-based interventions to effectively support diabetes self-management (DSM), little is known about their impact on the outcomes of highly vulnerable populations such as low-income, inner-city, racial/ethnic minorities. And while phone-based interventions have generally been successful at reaching and engaging adults with diabetes, they have failed to do the same with family members/friends (FF) whom are a promising source of ongoing support for DSM. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility, perceived usefulness, and potential effectiveness of a short text or voice message (ST/VM) intervention to activate 1) physical activity (PA) behavior change among low-income, urban, Latino patients in diabetes management and 2) supportive behaviors by FF. The investigators conducted a 12-week pilot study in which participants were randomized into one of three study arms: control, phone messaging (PM), and phone messaging plus social support from FF (PM+FF). Participants were recruited in person from a diabetes management program at a safety-net ambulatory care clinic. All participants were given a pedometer and walking log for self-monitoring. Participants in the PM and PM+FF arms received ST/VMs as reminders to review daily step goals and to self-monitor; explaining the benefits of regular PA, importance of regular PA to daily life, and ways to overcome commonly identified barriers to PA; asking participants to report on PA performance; providing feedback based on responses. Participants in the PM+FF identified a FF to receive ST/VMs with suggested behaviors that are perceived as supportive by individuals making PA behavior changes. Participants received semi-structured assessments in person at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Participants were asked about the extent to which the program enhanced the participant's ability to make PA behavior changes. The primary outcome measures were daily step counts and perceived FF social support.

02

Conditions studied

  • Physical Activity
03

In context

Lead sponsor

University of Southern California is the lead sponsor of 773 studies on the registry; 135 are open to participants now.

Of its 68 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 32 (47%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age greater than or equal to 18 years
  • Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
  • No medical conditions restricting patient from beginning a walking program
  • Preferred language of English or Spanish, self-identifies as a Hispanic
  • Ability to walk without the use of assistive devices such as canes or walkers
  • Available to attend three interviews at the clinic
  • Does not plan to move away from the region or be out of the country during the next three months
  • Has a working phone where they can receive regular short text or voice messages for three months

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
42 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Other
    Control

    Pedometers and walking logs

    Behavioral: Pedometers and Walking Logs

  • Experimental
    Phone Messaging

    Phone Messaging

    Behavioral: Pedometers and Walking Logs · Behavioral: Phone Messaging

  • Experimental
    Phone Messaging + Family/Friend Support

    Phone Messaging + Family/Friend Support

    Behavioral: Pedometers and Walking Logs · Behavioral: Phone Messaging · Behavioral: Family/Friend Support

Interventions

  • BehavioralPedometers and Walking Logs

    Participants were recommended to use the pedometer and walking log to self-monitor how many steps participants walked each day. Participants were recommended to gradually increase daily steps over the course of 12 weeks until reaching 10,000 steps per day. Participants were also recommended to walk at a brisk pace for 3000 of these steps, which roughly translates to 30 minutes per day.

  • BehavioralPhone Messaging

    Participants received short text or voice messages (depending on participant preference) as reminders to review daily step goals and to self-monitor; explaining the benefits of regular physical activity, importance of regular physical activity to daily life, and ways to overcome commonly identified barriers to physical activity; asking participants to report on their physical activity performance; providing feedback based on responses.

  • BehavioralFamily/Friend Support

    Participants identified a family member or close friend (FF) to receive short text or voice messages (depending on FF preference) with suggested behaviors that are perceived as supportive by individuals making physical activity behavior changes.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in average daily steps assessed by pedometers

    Change in average daily steps assessed using pedometer 7-day data storage

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in body mass index

    Change in Body Mass Index, which was calculated as weight (in kilograms) over height squared (in centimeters)

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  2. Change in exercise self-efficacy assessed using the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale

    Change in exercise self-efficacy assessed using the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  3. Change in barriers self-efficacy assessed using the Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale

    Change in barriers self-efficacy assessed using the Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  4. Change in perceived family/friend social support assessed using the Social Support and Exercise Survey

    Change in perceived family/friend social support assessed using the Social Support and Exercise Survey

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

Other outcomes

  1. Change in perceived usefulness assessed using patient interviews

    At the 6- and 12-week follow-up interviews, participants were asked a series of unstructured questions regarding the extent to which the program enhanced a participant's ability to make physical activity behavior changes. These questions inquired about participants' thoughts on setting PA goals, self-monitoring, educational and feedback ST/VMs, and the idea of using ST/VMs to communicate with patients about PA behavior change. For participants in the PM+FF arms, the questions also inquired about supportive behaviors exhibited by FF since the start of the program and participants' thoughts on the idea of using ST/VMs to communicate with FF about patients' PA behavior changes. Investigators also asked if participants would be willing to participate in a similar program in the future and if participants would be willing to recommend the program to other patients. The latter two were yes/no questions.

    Time frame: 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  2. Change in perceived usability of pedometers assessed via patient interviews

    Semi-structured patient interview questions inquiring about the degree to which participants perceived the pedometers to be easy to use

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  3. Change in perceived barriers to receipt of and engagement with ST/VMs assessed via patient interviews

    Semi-structured patient interview questions inquiring about participants' perceived barriers to the receipt of and engagement with ST/VMs

    Time frame: 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  4. Change in engagement with ST/VMs requiring a response assessed via call logs

    Percentage of times that participants responded to ST/VMs requiring a response

    Time frame: 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  5. Change in receipt of ST/VMs assessed via self-report and call logs

    Percentage of short text messages delivered that were received assessed via self-report, and percentage of voice messages that were received assessed via call logs

    Time frame: 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  6. Change in non-compliance with wearing pedometer assessed via pedometer and walking log

    Percentage of patients that did not wear the pedometer for a minimum of three consecutive days for at least 10 hours per day. This data will be obtained using the pedometer 7-day memory storage and participants' self-reported hours of use.

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  7. Recruitment and retention rates assessed via recruitment and follow-up logs

    Percentage of patients that were screened, were eligible to participate, and enrolled in the study. Percentage of patients who completed the 6-week and 12-week follow-up assessments.

    Time frame: 1 day (Recruitment), 6 weeks, 12 weeks

  8. Sufficiency or restrictiveness of eligibility criteria assessed via recruitment logs

    Percentage of patients that were screened, but were ineligible to participate and the reasons why

    Time frame: 1 day (Recruitment)

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

References and documents

Publications

  • Ramirez M, Wu S. Phone Messaging to Prompt Physical Activity and Social Support Among Low-Income Latino Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Pilot Study. JMIR Diabetes. 2017 Jun 6;2(1):e8. doi: 10.2196/diabetes.7063. PubMed 30291094 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 13, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02850770
Lead sponsor
University of Southern California
Collaborators
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Responsible party
Shinyi Wu (Associate Professor, University of Southern California) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 1, 2016
Start date
Apr 2015
Primary completion
Nov 2015
Completion
Nov 2015
Last update
Mar 13, 2017

Study contacts

Shinyi Wu, Ph.D.
principal investigator · University of Southern California

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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