CompletedNCT03148145Updated Oct 10, 2018

CalFitness Smartphone-Delivered Physical Activity Intervention With Messaging

An interventional study of Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone and Message Delivery by Smartphone in Sedentary Lifestyle and Physical Activity, sponsored by University of California, Berkeley. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-10-10.

Sponsored by University of California, Berkeley · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Feb 2017, registered May 2017).

Phase: Not applicable
Study type: Interventional
Enrollment: 40
Allocation: Randomized
Ages: 18 Years to 65 Years
Sex: All

Study summary

The overall goal of this study is to test personalized mobile phone-based physical activity interventions among students at the University of California, Berkeley. Most physical fitness applications for smartphones and activity trackers use a constant goal for the number of steps each day. However, if the step goals are dynamically adjusted according to past behavior, then the corresponding goals may encourage individuals to increase their physical activity level. This study consists of a randomized controlled trial in which we are assessing the efficacy of four different algorithms for calculating personalized goals for the number of steps each day and for determining which motivational messages to send each day.

Conditions studied

Sedentary Lifestyle
Physical Activity

In context

Lead sponsor

University of California, Berkeley is the lead sponsor of 106 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.

Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (20%) have results posted.

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

Who can participate

Ages eligible: 18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible: All
Accepts healthy volunteers: Yes

Inclusion criteria

intent to become physically active
own an iPhone 5s (or newer model)
willing to keep the iPhone in pockets during the day
willing to install and use the intervention app every day for 4 months
ability to speak and read English.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

known medical conditions or physical problems that require special attention in an exercise program
planning an international trip during the next 4 months, which could interfere with daily server uploads of mobile phone data
pregnant/gave birth during the past 6 months
severe hearing or speech problem
history of an eating disorder
current substance abuse
current participation in lifestyle modification programs or research studies that may confound study results
history of bariatric surgery or plans for bariatric surgery in the next 12 months.

Study design

Phase: Not applicable
Primary purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment: 40 participants (actual)

Study arms

Active comparator
Constant Steps Goal
Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone
Behavioral: Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone
Experimental
Averaged Steps Goals and Random Messages
Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone Message Delivery by Smartphone
Behavioral: Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone · Behavioral: Message Delivery by Smartphone
Experimental
Algorithm Steps Goal and Random Messages
Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone Message Delivery by Smartphone
Behavioral: Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone · Behavioral: Message Delivery by Smartphone
Experimental
Algorithm Steps Goal and Messages
Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone Message Delivery by Smartphone
Behavioral: Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone · Behavioral: Message Delivery by Smartphone

Interventions

BehavioralStep Goal Delivery by Smartphone
Step Goal Delivery by Smartphone
BehavioralMessage Delivery by Smartphone
Message Delivery by Smartphone

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

Daily Steps Taken Per Day
Time frame: 10 weeks

Study locations

1 site

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California 94720, United States

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026

No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 10, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Registry details

Key details

Study ID: NCT03148145
Lead sponsor: University of California, Berkeley
Responsible party: Anil Aswani (Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley) — Principal investigator
First posted: May 10, 2017
Start date: Feb 1, 2017
Primary completion: May 31, 2017
Completion: May 31, 2017
Last update: Oct 10, 2018

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug: No
FDA-regulated device: No

View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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