Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37924083›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2023

Harnessing technology and gamification to increase adult physical activity: a cluster randomized controlled trial of the Columbia Moves pilot.

Courtney M Monroe, Bo Cai, Sarah Edney, Danielle E Jake-Schoffman, Keith Brazendale, Agnes Bucko, Bridget Armstrong, Chih-Hsiang Yang, Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03509129 (Evaluating Columbia Moves), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03509129 naunknown statusnot on this map

Evaluating Columbia Moves: A Social Network Approach Using a Team Competition and Technology to Increase Physical Activity

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of South CarolinaRan2018 to 2019Enrolled116ConditionsPhysical ActivityArmsTECH (Technology), TECH+COMP (Technology + Competition)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Reversing Decline in Aging Muscles: Expected Trends, Impacts and Remedies.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Courtney M MonroeArnold School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1 Building, Suite 403G, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA. cmmonroe@mailbox.sc.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-8532-9731
Bo CaiArnold School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1 Building, Room 460, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
Sarah EdneySaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Tahir Foundation Building (Block MD1), 12 Science Drive 2, #11-01, Singapore, 117549, Singapore.
Danielle E Jake-SchoffmanCollege of Health and Human Performance, Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118210, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Keith BrazendaleCollege of Health Professions and Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, University of Central Florida, HS II, Room 210A, 12805 Pegasus Drive, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
Agnes BuckoCollege of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 8844 Craver Road, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA.
Bridget ArmstrongArnold School of Public Health, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Public Health Research Center, Room 132, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
Chih-Hsiang YangArnold School of Public Health, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1 Building, Room 403E, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
Gabrielle Turner-McGrievyArnold School of Public Health, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Discovery 1 Building, Room 552, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
University of South Carolina · USNational University of Singapore · SGUniversity of Central Florida · USUniversity of Florida Health · USUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe use of health technologies and gamification to promote physical activity has increasingly been examined, representing an opportunistic method for harnessing social support inherent within existing social ties. However, these prior studies have yielded mixed findings and lacked long-term follow-up periods. Thus, a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to gauge the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a digital gamification-based physical activity promotion approach among teams of insufficiently active adults with existing social ties.

methodsTeams (N = 24; 116 total participants) were randomized to either a 12-week intervention (Fitbit, step goals, app, feedback; TECH) or the same program plus gamification (TECH + Gamification). Mixed effects models were used to compare group differences in treatment adherence, and changes in social support, steps, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at 12 weeks and 52 weeks from baseline, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and team size.

resultsTECH had a lower mean number of days of Fitbit self-monitoring versus TECH + Gamification during the intervention (adjusted difference: -.30; 95% CI, -.54 to -.07; P = .01). Post-intervention, TECH had 47% lower odds of self-monitoring 7 days per week versus TECH + Gamification (.53; 95% CI, .31 to .89; P = .02). No differences were observed between TECH + Gamification and TECH in increases in social support (0.04; 95% CI, -.21 to .29; P = .76), ActiGraph-measured daily steps (-425; 95% CI, -1065 to 215; P = .19), or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes (-3.36; 95% CI, -8.62 to 1.91; P = .21) from baseline to 12 weeks or in the regression of these improvements by 1 year (Ps > .05). Although not significant in the adjusted models (Ps > .05), clinically meaningful differences in Fitbit-measured daily steps (TECH, 7041 ± 2520; TECH + Gamification, 7988 ± 2707) and active minutes (TECH, 29.90 ± 29.76; TECH + Gamification, 36.38 ± 29.83) were found during the intervention.

conclusionsA gamified physical activity intervention targeting teams of adults with existing social ties was feasible and facilitated favorable, clinically meaningful additive physical activity effects while in place but did not drive enhanced, long-term physical activity participation. Future investigations should explore optimal team dynamics and more direct ways of leveraging social support (training teams; gamifying social support).

trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov ( NCT03509129 , April 26, 2018).

Indexed as

ExerciseGamificationAdultData CollectionHumansTechnologye/mHealthGamificationPhysical activitySocial support

Identifiers

PMID37924083
PMCPMC10623775
OpenAlexW4388293988

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.