Can a fun fitness app help those who Can't smell? UK trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT06600438
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 30, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This 18-month study tests whether a smartphone app with game-like features can help adults aged 40+ with a reduced sense of smell become more active. 110 participants will be randomly assigned to either a full-dose programme aiming to double their daily steps or a low-dose control aiming for a 10% increase. The goal is to see if the programme is practical and acceptable, not whether it improves smell or health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Slow-SPEED app (gamified motivational smartphone app linked to Fitbit)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a remote, gamified activity programme is feasible for older adults with smell loss, paving the way for larger studies on potential health benefits.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small feasibility trial not designed to test whether the programme improves health. It may fail to recruit or retain enough participants, and results may not apply to broader populations.
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 110 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
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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40 to 100 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 * Age ≥ 40 years * Objective hyposmia, defined as scoring below the 15th percentile (adjusted for age/sex) on UPSIT * Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent * Proficiency in written and spoken English sufficient to complete study procedures. * Willingness and ability to attend baseline (in-person), 9-month (remote), and 18-month (in-person) assessments. * Access to telephone or internet for interim communication. Specifically, in possession of a suitable smartphone (screen size minimum 4.6 inch; Android version 9 or iOS version 15 or newer). * Physical activity threshold: During the 4-week eligibility run-in, the mean daily step count must be \<7,000 steps/day, calculated over ≥21 valid days (a valid day = ≥10 hours wear time or ≥1,000 steps). If recruitment after the first 2 months is \<60-70% of target, and subject to TSC/Sponsor approval and REC amendment, eligibility may be broadened to \<10,000 steps/day (i.e. participants averaging 7,000-9,999 steps/day become eligible). Exclusion criteria * Clinical diagnosis of PD, dementia, or other neurodegenerative conditions * Severe or unstable medical or psychiatric illness likely to impair participation * Use of agents known to alter olfaction (e.g. intranasal zinc, chronic corticosteroids) * Current enrolment in an interventional study within the past 3 months (standard research retention guidance). * Inability to complete study procedures in English, per investigator assessment * Unable to give consent * Participants not living independently in the community. Participants in nursing homes, hospitalised persons on in a non-institutionalised setting are excluded. * Subject's personal smartphone is Fitbit-incompatible i.e. Huawei P8 Lite; Huawei P9 Lite; Xiaomi Mi 6; Huawei P20 Lite * Activity level above threshold during eligibility run-in: mean daily step count ≥7,000 steps/day (or ≥10,000 steps/day if the broadened threshold is activated).
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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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Viktoria Azoidou
RECRUITINGLondon, United Kingdom
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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