JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Physical inactivity increases risk of chronic disease and reduces life expectancy, yet adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines remains low. SMS text messages are promising for promoting PA, but it is not clear what type of messaging is most effective. Messages with causal information, which explain why a recommendation is being made, may be more persuasive than messages containing only recommendations.

Objective:

To compare the effectiveness of causal versus non-causal SMS text messages for promoting PA in US adults.

Methods:

In this pilot we randomized 30 US adults aged 18–64 to receive causal or non-causal text messages roughly every other day for two weeks, following a one-week baseline. PA was measured using Empatica wristbands during intervention and baseline periods, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) at baseline, post-intervention, and four weeks later. The primary outcome was change in mean metabolic equivalent of task (METs) per minute from baseline to intervention. The secondary outcomes were 1) PA differences on intervention and non-intervention days (mean METs/min), 2) changes in self-reported METs per week between surveyed periods, and 3) participant satisfaction. We used a linear mixed model (LMM) to analyze our primary outcome, the Mann–Whitney U test and the Chi-square test of independence to analyze quantitative secondary outcomes, and qualitative coding to analyze survey data.

Results:

The causal message group had a greater increase in mean METs per minute from baseline to intervention compared to the non-causal group with a moderate effect size (p = .01, Cohen’s d = 0.54). In the causal group, PA was significantly higher on text message days (mean METs/min = 2.46, SD = 0.12) compared to non-message days (mean METs/min = 2.25, SD = 0.15, p = .02), while there was no difference in the non-causal group (p = .54). No significant between-group difference was found in self-reported PA or satisfaction.

Conclusions:

Causal information that links suggested PA to health outcomes can increase the effectiveness of text messages promoting PA, indicating the value of incorporating causal information into intervention design. Our results provide further basis for just-in-time interventions, as activity was higher on message days. Further work is needed to better personalize message content and timing to maintain participant engagement.