Can a happiness boost get heart patients moving?
NCT ID NCT05412862
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a 12-week program that combines positive psychology and motivational interviewing to help people who have had a heart attack become more physically active. The program is delivered remotely via phone and text messages. Researchers will compare activity levels and emotional well-being between 280 participants who receive the program and those who receive usual care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Positive psychology and motivational interviewing program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a practical way to help heart attack survivors become more physically active and improve their emotional well-being.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage behavioral study. The program may not lead to lasting changes in activity, and results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 280 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2022
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 95 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * ACS (myocardial infarction or unstable angina) * Suboptimal physical activity (score of \< 6 on the Medical Outcomes study Specific Adherence Scale item related to physical activity) Exclusion Criteria: * Cognitive deficits (assessed via a 6-item cognitive screening tool) * Medical conditions likely to lead to death within 6 months. * Moderate-severe depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 \[PHQ-9\] score ≥15) * Inability to participate in physical activity due to another medical condition (e.g., arthritis) * Inability to read, write, or speak in English * Inability to receive text-messages * Current participation in another intervention or program that has been designed to promote well-being or physical activity
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Get notified about this study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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