mHealth and Incentives
Above optimal blood pressure can lead to serious heart conditions, like hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Adjusting your lifestyle, including increasing your physical activity levels has the capacity to provide benefits to your blood pressure prior to developing worse, chronic conditions.
This 8-week study aimed to improve physical activity to improve health. Participants received a physical activity and heart health education program through their Smartphone if they were in the intervention groups. This remote learning opportunity supports a popular branch of health behaviour research called mobile health (mHealth).
Eligible participants were randomized into one of three groups:
- Pay-per-minute financial incentive group
- Social impact bond financial incentive group
- Control group
Inclusion Criteria
- Adults aged 40-65 in British Columbia
- Not meeting Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week
- English-literate
- Normal to corrected normal vision
Exclusion Criteria
- Diagnosis of diabetes
- Diagnosis of hypertension or other heart conditions
- Other mobility restrictions
Thank you to all who participated!
Usability Testing - Complete
We are currently looking for individuals aged 40-65 to test a mobile app education program.
This Digital Health Lab-made program focuses on heart health and physical activity and we want YOUR feedback! The purpose of this usability testing is to hone a patient-oriented philosophy to see how you, the user, interacts with the mobile app.
What will happen if I take part in this research study?
Eligible participants will be asked to meet with a research assistant in a focus group through Zoom. You are allowed to use a nickname or a substitute name and having your camera on is optional. This virtual meeting will require you to complete goal-oriented tasks through your computer and complete a feedback interview and questionnaires. The overall study visit will take about 45 minutes to complete. Additionally, there is an optional debriefing group session that you may choose to attend following this study.
Examples of tasks:
- Logging in to app
- Accessing relevant content
- Navigating the pages of the app
After completing the tasks, there will be a brief interview. The interview questions will focus on the app experience. Finally, we will ask you to complete a set of questionnaires about your age, income, education, previous mobile phone use experiences and thoughts on the app-based program.
How long will I be in the research study?
The research study will take about 45 minutes of your time.
Will I be paid for participating?
You will be compensated $20 for your time and feedback for this study.