Text Messaging Intervention for Sedentary Lifestyle

Overseen By Karen Basen-Engquist, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Disqualifiers: Ambulatory assistance, MD Anderson employees, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

200 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if an eight-week texting program can reduce daily sitting time. Participants will receive motivational text messages on their smartphones and wear a Fitbit to track their steps. The trial seeks individuals who sit for more than six hours a day and are comfortable using a smartphone. Those feeling stuck in a sedentary lifestyle and possessing a smartphone may find this trial suitable. As an unphased trial, it offers a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance daily habits and overall health.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this text messaging intervention is safe?

Research has shown that using Fitbits in health programs is generally safe. Studies have found that these devices can increase physical activity and promote healthier lifestyles. Users have not reported any major safety issues.

Fitbits are popular and designed to track steps and physical activity safely. Previous research has examined their accuracy and ability to encourage more activity. So far, no evidence suggests that wearing a Fitbit causes serious side effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the mobile phone text-based intervention for sedentary lifestyles because it leverages technology to promote physical activity in a novel way. Unlike traditional methods like gym memberships or in-person coaching, this intervention uses text messages to encourage and remind participants to stay active, making it accessible and convenient. Additionally, by pairing this with a Fitbit, the approach offers real-time feedback and personalized motivation, which can be more engaging and effective in promoting sustained behavior change. This method is cost-effective and easily scalable, potentially reaching a larger audience than traditional interventions.

What evidence suggests that this mobile phone text-based intervention is effective for reducing sedentary behavior?

Research shows that text messages can help people sit less and move more. In this trial, participants will receive a Mobile Phone Text-based Intervention aimed at reducing sedentary behavior. Studies have found that digital health programs, such as text messaging, can significantly reduce sitting time, especially for those with long-term health issues. One study showed that text reminders encouraged people with heart problems to exercise more, leading to less sitting. Another review found that similar phone-based programs can increase physical activity, motivating people to be more active. These findings suggest that regular text message reminders can help people become less sedentary. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Karen M. Basen-Engquist

Principal Investigator

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults over 18 who own a smartphone, can use WiFi or mobile data, have an email address (or are willing to create one), can read and understand English, consent to participate, are open to receiving texts and completing questionnaires on their phone. It's not for those who don't want their activity tracked or need walking aids due to medical conditions.

Inclusion Criteria

Has an email address or willing to create one

Able to read and understand English

I am willing to get texts and answer short surveys on my phone.

Exclusion Criteria

Unwilling to have sedentary behavior and activity tracked

I need a device like a cane or walker to walk due to a health condition.

MD Anderson employees that report to the Principal Investigators of this study

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive an 8-week phone-based texting intervention program to reduce sedentary behavior

8 weeks

Remote participation via text messages

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in sedentary behavior and physical activity after the intervention

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• FitBit
• Mobile Phone Text-based Intervention

Trial Overview The TEXT2MOVE study is testing whether an 8-week program that sends health-related text messages can help people sit less and be more active. Participants will receive these texts on their phones and may also use a FitBit device.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Fit Bit (Study Groups) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants wear a Fitbit every day for 8 weeks to record the number of steps you take

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

3,107

Recruited

1,813,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

An interactive text messaging campaign was developed for 160 parents to support behavior change in their children as part of a childhood obesity trial, with 1-2 messages sent weekly over a year.

The intervention showed high engagement, with nearly two-thirds of parents responding to 75% or more of the text messages, indicating that text messaging is an effective tool for promoting health behavior changes among parents.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and Implementation of an Interactive Text Messaging Campaign to Support Behavior Change in a Childhood Obesity Randomized Controlled Trial. Price, S., Ferisin, S., Sharifi, M., et al.[2022]

Office workers who received activity-promoting text messages sat significantly less during the message-receiving period (4.9 hours/day) compared to those who did not receive messages (6.0 hours/day), indicating that text messages can temporarily reduce sedentary behavior.

However, this reduction in sitting time did not lead to lasting changes in sedentary behavior after the intervention ended, nor did it result in improvements in cardiometabolic health markers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Effect of Interrupting Sedentary Behavior on the Cardiometabolic Health of Adults With Sedentary Occupations: A Pilot Study. Dunning, JR., McVeigh, JA., Goble, D., et al.[2022]

A systematic review of 13 studies found that SMS interventions showed some promise in improving physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior among youth, with 7 interventions improving physical activity and 6 improving sedentary behavior.

However, the studies varied widely in design and outcomes, leading to high risk of bias and making it difficult to determine which specific elements of the SMS interventions were most effective.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text Messaging Interventions for Improvement in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Youth: Systematic Review. Ludwig, K., Arthur, R., Sculthorpe, N., et al.[2019]

Text messaging is a highly effective and low-cost tool for promoting health behavior change, providing real-time support and engagement, especially in low-resource settings.

Systematic reviews show that text message interventions can significantly improve health outcomes in areas like smoking cessation, medication adherence, and self-management of chronic conditions, yet they are underutilized on a large scale.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Old-Fashioned Technology in the Era of "Bling": Is There a Future for Text Messaging in Health Care? Willcox, JC., Dobson, R., Whittaker, R.[2020]

A systematic review of 12 studies involving text messaging interventions for behavior change found that 8 out of 9 sufficiently powered studies supported its effectiveness in promoting health behavior changes over periods ranging from 3 to 12 months.

The review highlighted the need for more research in developing countries, as most studies were conducted in developed nations, despite the potential for text messaging to be a low-cost health intervention globally.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Text messaging as a tool for behavior change in disease prevention and management. Cole-Lewis, H., Kershaw, T.[2022]

In the HealthyYou text (HYTxt) program, 43% of participants dropped out, with 65% of those leaving within the first two weeks, highlighting a significant early dropout issue.

Participants with higher levels of autonomous motivation were less likely to drop out early, suggesting that enhancing this type of motivation could improve retention and effectiveness of health behavior change programs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Baseline Motivation Type as a Predictor of Dropout in a Healthy Eating Text Messaging Program. Coa, K., Patrick, H.[2018]

A total of 124 SMS text messages were developed to support diet and exercise behavior change after a diabetes prevention program, using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework to ensure they were theory-based and effective.

After evaluation by 18 participants, 61.3% of the messages were refined for clarity and relevance, resulting in a final bank of 120 messages that were well-received by both users and coaches, demonstrating a structured approach to developing effective mobile health interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation and Refinement of a Bank of SMS Text Messages to Promote Behavior Change Adherence Following a Diabetes Prevention Program: Survey Study. MacPherson, M., Cranston, K., Johnston, C., et al.[2021]

The TEXT ME text message intervention significantly increased recreational and travel physical activity in patients with coronary heart disease, with participants reporting 471 MET-min/week compared to 307 MET-min/week in the control group after six months.

Patients who received both the TEXT ME intervention and traditional cardiac rehabilitation were much more likely to reach target physical activity levels, with an odds ratio of 7.07 compared to 1.80 for those receiving only cardiac rehabilitation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patterns, predictors and effects of texting intervention on physical activity in CHD - insights from the TEXT ME randomized clinical trial. Thakkar, J., Redfern, J., Thiagalingam, A., et al.[2022]

Citations

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Effectiveness of mHealth interventions targeting physical ... Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of mHealth behaviour change interventions aimed at improving physical activity ( ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1551714420301622

Testing the effectiveness of physical activity advice ... The objective of the On The Move randomized controlled trial is to test the effectiveness of a linguistically and culturally targeted SMS PA intervention.

3. journals.lww.com journals.lww.com/hhmi/fulltext/2025/01000/mobile_health_intervention_reduces_sedentary_time.3.aspx

Mobile Health Intervention Reduces Sedentary Time and... The mHealth intervention may remind patients with CVD of exercise training and help them reduce sedentary time and physical inactivity.

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Smartphone-Based Interventions to Reduce Sedentary ... This review aims to quantify the number of studies that have used dynamic models to develop smartphone-based interventions to promote PA and reduce SB.

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Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions on Sedentary ... This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of digital health interventions in reducing SB among patients with chronic diseases.

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Health Habits and Wearable Activity Tracker Devices The use of tracker devices was related to lower cardiovascular disease mortality risk related to sitting time. The amount of physical activity ...

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7589007/

Fitbit-Based Interventions for Healthy Lifestyle Outcomes The use of Fitbit devices in interventions has the potential to promote healthy lifestyles in terms of physical activity and weight.

9. mhealth.jmir.org mhealth.jmir.org/2018/8/e10527

Accuracy of Fitbit Devices: Systematic Review and Narrative ... The objective of this review was to systematically evaluate and report measurement accuracy for Fitbit activity trackers in controlled and free-living settings.

10. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/355934233_Exploring_the_Use_of_Fitbit_Consumer_Activity_Trackers_to_Support_Active_Lifestyles_in_Adults_with_Type_2_Diabetes_A_Mixed-Methods_Study

Exploring the Use of Fitbit Consumer Activity Trackers to ... Fitbit and self-reported physical activity data was examined through quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis was conducted to explore the ...