Registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Register #ISRCTN99944116; ethical approval obtained. |
90 participants recruited by primary care health professionals or self-referred; screened by the research team for inclusion suitability. |
Inclusion criteria:
| Exclusion criteria:
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Baseline screening meeting: participants given study information, signed consent, randomised, and completed quality-of-life and mental-health score questionnaires. BMI, blood pressure, and heart rate measured. Smartphone application (app), Accupedo-Pro Pedometer, was downloaded to smartphones; step-count display not made visible. |
Week 1: All participants continued normal activity level; carried smartphone during all waking hours so the app could record baseline step count while remaining invisible to the participant. |
End of week 1: Randomisation code broken; participants assigned to control or intervention groups. |
Control group:
App with step count continues to remain invisible Given information on benefits of exercise Instructed to increase physical activity with a goal of an additional 30 minutes’ walking exercise (equivalent to 10 000 steps) per day
| Intervention group:
App and step count made visible Given information on benefits of exercise Instructed to increase physical activity (goal of 10 000 steps per day); encouraged to use app to achieve goal
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After completion of 8-week trial: |
Quality-of-life and mental-health score questionnaire administered; BMI, blood pressure, heart rate recorded. Quantitative results analysed with SPSS for primary outcome (mean difference in daily step count between baseline and 8-week follow up) and secondary outcomes. After trial completion, all control-group participants shown how to use the app. |
Qualitative evaluation carried out: interviews with purposeful sample of post-trial participants to explore their experiences within 4 weeks of finishing the trial. |