Gamifying accelerometer use increases physical activity levels of individuals pre-disposed to type II diabetes

Shelby L Francis; Jacob E Simmering; Linnea A Polgreen; Nicholas J Evans; Katie R Hosteng; Lucas J Carr; James F Cremer; Sarah Coe; Joe E Cavanaugh; Alberto M Segre; Philip M Polgreen

doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101426

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Gamifying accelerometer use increases physical activity levels of individuals pre-disposed to type II diabetes

Journal article

Open access

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Gamifying accelerometer use increases physical activity levels of individuals pre-disposed to type II diabetes

Shelby L Francis, Jacob E Simmering, Linnea A Polgreen, Nicholas J Evans, Katie R Hosteng, Lucas J Carr, James F Cremer, Sarah Coe, Joe E Cavanaugh, Alberto M Segre, …

Preventive medicine reports, Vol.23, pp.101426-101426

09/2021

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101426

PMCID: PMC8209749

PMID: 34178586

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Abstract

Physical activity is important for preventing obesity and diabetes, but most obese and pre-diabetic patients are not physically active. We developed a Fitbit-based game called MapTrek that promotes walking. We recruited obese and pre-diabetic patients. Half were randomly assigned to the control group and given a Fitbit alone. The others were given a Fitbit plus MapTrek. The MapTrek group participated in 6 months of weekly virtual races. Each week, participants were placed in a race with 9 others who achieved a similar number of steps in the previous week’s race. Participants moved along the virtual route by the steps recorded on their Fitbit and received daily walking challenges via text message. Text messages also had links to the race map and leaderboard. We used a Bayesian mixed effects model to analyze the number of steps taken during the intervention. A total of 192 (89%) participants in the control group and 196 (91%) in the MapTrek group were included in the analyses. MapTrek significantly increased step counts when it began: MapTrek participants walked almost 1,700 steps more than the control group on the first day of the intervention. We estimate that there is a 97% probability that the effect of MapTrek is at least 1,000 additional steps per day throughout the course of the 6-month intervention and that MapTrek participants would have walked an additional 81 miles, on average, before the effect ended. Our MapTrek intervention led to significant extra walking by the MapTrek participants.

Game

Physical exercise

Pre-diabetes

Walking

Details

Title: Subtitle: Gamifying accelerometer use increases physical activity levels of individuals pre-disposed to type II diabetes
Creators: Shelby L Francis - University of Iowa
Jacob E Simmering - University of Iowa
Linnea A Polgreen - University of Iowa
Nicholas J Evans - University of Iowa
Katie R Hosteng - University of Iowa
Lucas J Carr - University of Iowa
James F Cremer - University of Iowa
Sarah Coe - University of Iowa
Joe E Cavanaugh - University of Iowa
Alberto M Segre - University of Iowa
Philip M Polgreen - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Preventive medicine reports, Vol.23, pp.101426-101426
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101426
PMID: 34178586
PMCID: PMC8209749
NLM abbreviation: Prev Med Rep
ISSN: 2211-3355
eISSN: 2211-3355
Publisher: Elsevier Inc
Grant note: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Language: English
Date published: 09/2021
Academic Unit: Infectious Diseases; Health Management and Policy; Biostatistics; Nursing; Pharmacy Practice and Science; Injury Prevention Research Center; Statistics and Actuarial Science; Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Epidemiology; Economics; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center; Computer Science; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology ; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984226815802771

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