Work Out with More Frequency or Intensity? How Types of Goals in Fitness Trackers affect Health Outcomes

Last registered on September 19, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Work Out with More Frequency or Intensity? How Types of Goals in Fitness Trackers affect Health Outcomes
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010055
Initial registration date
September 11, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 19, 2022, 3:09 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
Texas
Country
United States of America
Region
Illinois

Primary Investigator

Name
Unnati Narang
Affiliation
UIUC
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dinara Akchurina
PI Affiliation
University of Toronto
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-01-18
End date
2023-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Fitness trackers are associated with improved physical activity. However, little is known about how various types of goals nudged by fitness trackers affect consumers’ physical activity and health. The goal of this project is to measure the effect of different types of tracking goals on consumers’ workout participation, exercise effort, and health outcomes. To examine the effects of goal-based nudges, we propose a randomized field experiment at the campus recreation center at one of the largest U.S. public universities. Participants will receive a fitness tracker and will be assigned to various goals for their workouts. We will track their workout participation, exercise intensity, and health outcomes to understand how goals can enhance the usefulness of fitness trackers and improve health outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Akchurina, Dinara and Unnati Narang. 2022. "Work Out with More Frequency or Intensity? How Types of Goals in Fitness Trackers affect Health Outcomes." AEA RCT Registry. September 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10055-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Various types of goals (e.g., frequency and intensity of working out)
Intervention Start Date
2023-01-25
Intervention End Date
2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Workout participation, exercise intensity, and health outcomes
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will recruit participants by inviting those who pay to join group classes and provide them with fitness trackers for the semester. We will enroll them with a baseline survey and in-body scan to measure their baseline health indicants, such as baseline body fat percentage. We will then randomize the enrollees into four conditions: (a) no goals, (b) goals in terms of target number of weekly workouts to be completed, and (c) goals in terms of workout intensity each time they work out, and (d) goals that combine both the number and intensity of workouts.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Random number generator
Randomization Unit
Individual students
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Targeting ~1000 students each semester for 2023-24
Sample size: planned number of observations
Targeting ~1000 students each semester for 2023-24
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Targeting ~1000 students each semester for 2023-24
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials