The Increasing Mindfulness Engagement Project

Purpose

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of different types of text messages and a integrated gaming app to increase engagement in a mindfulness mobile health application. 1. Does receiving text messages increase engagement in a mindfulness app? 2. Does an integrated gaming app increase engagement in a mindfulness app? Researchers will examine whether participants engage more in a mindfulness mobile health application if they receive text messages and if they engage in additional gaming app on their smartphone. Participants will: 1. Use a mindfulness and gaming mobile health application for 28-days. 2. Complete a pre-study survey, post-study survey, follow-up interview, and 3-month follow-up survey in addition to daily brief surveys.

Conditions

  • Healthy Participants
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Acceptability

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 29 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

18-29 years old First-generation college student Undergraduate college student Living in
the United States Meet criteria for binge drinking (5 drinks in about 2 hours) or heavy
drinking (more than 14 drinks per week).

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Intervention Model Description
The study is a pilot micro-randomized trial where participants are micro-randomized daily in a 28-day trial to receive different types of messages (episodic-future thinking, reciprocity, or no text message) and enticed by a gaming app to examine the feasibility and acceptability of these strategies to engage participants in a mindfulness mobile health application.
Primary Purpose
Other
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Other
Reciprocity
Reciprocity text messages include giving participants a message with an solicited reward (e.g., credits in gaming app, $1).
  • Other: Mindfulness Smartphone Application
    A mindfulness mobile health smartphone application that has mindfulness information and practice videos.
Other
Episodic Future Thinking
Episodic Future Thinking text messages include giving participants a message that encourages them to think vividly about their future
  • Other: Mindfulness Smartphone Application
    A mindfulness mobile health smartphone application that has mindfulness information and practice videos.
Other
No text message
Participants receive no text message in this arm
  • Other: Mindfulness Smartphone Application
    A mindfulness mobile health smartphone application that has mindfulness information and practice videos.

Recruiting Locations

Florida State University Center for Translational Behavioral Science
Tallahassee, Florida 32305
Contact:
Laura Reid Marks, PhD
laura.reidmarks@med.fsu.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Florida State University

Study Contact

Laura Reid Marks, PhD
(850)644-2334
laura.reidmarks@med.fsu.edu

Detailed Description

Participants who are eligible to participate in the pilot micro-randomized trial (MRT) will be screened and onboarded via Zoom. They will be given baseline measures and trained on using the mindfulness app with integrated gaming app on their smartphone. Micro-randomizations will be used to address scientific questions related to the delivery and personalization of episodic future thinking and reciprocity engagement strategies in addition to gamification across the 28-day trial. The proposed pilot MRT will micro-randomize participants in the morning into one of three options: (i) episodic future thinking text-based prompts, (ii) reciprocity text-based prompts, or (iii) no prompts with equal probability. Participants will receive mobile-based ecological momentary assessments in the evening. EMA data will be paired with usage data from the mindfulness app (e.g., time spent in app, number of sessions, completion of mindfulness videos) to assess the conditions under which participants are receptive to engagement strategies. After 28 days, a follow-up survey questionnaire will be administered and an individual interview will be conducted with each participant. A 3-month follow-up survey will also be administered to participants who complete the study. Our primary outcome in engagement in the mindfulness app, and our secondary outcomes are stress and alcohol use.