Friendship app aims to get couch potatoes moving
NCT ID NCT06662292
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding digital social support training to a physical activity app helps inactive adults exercise more. Three hundred participants join in self-selected teams of 3-8 people. They use the Mobile STRIDES app and a Fitbit to track activity, and some teams get extra training on supporting each other. The goal is to see if the social support group increases moderate-to-vigorous activity (like brisk walking) more than the app alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Mobile STRIDES app with social support training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that digital team-based social support helps people become and stay more physically active.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioral study with no blinding, so results may be influenced by participants' expectations. The effect may be small or not last long-term.
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 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Nov 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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: Participants must: * be at least 18 years of age * be insufficiently physically active (\< 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity equivalent aerobic physical activity as measured by waist-worn accelerometer (research grade physical activity measurement device) - i.e., sum of time spent in minutes of moderate-intensity activity plus twice the minutes spent in vigorous-intensity activity \< 150 minutes per week) * be part of a self-selected team of 3-8 individuals each of whom also meet all other eligibility criteria (members of the same household are only eligible to participate if they are on the same team - limit one team per household) * have access to a smartphone (Android or iphone operating system-based) with an internet connection * report being able to walk at least ¼ mile without stopping * be able to provide informed consent * complete all screening and baseline questionnaires and activities Exclusion Criteria: * participating in another physical activity study or program * are pregnant, breastfeeding, less than 6 months post-partum, or plan to become pregnant during the time frame of the investigation * report a medical condition that would affect the safety and/or efficacy of a physical activity program (e.g., terminal illness; uncontrolled heart condition, dementia, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder, other significant psychiatric problems, or use of insulin) * report conditions that in the judgment of the Principal Investigator would render them unlikely to be able to independently follow the intervention protocol for 3 months, including conditions which might compromise their ability to engage independently with the intervention website materials and wearable physical activity tracker, as well as complete online questionnaires and adhere to wearing an accelerometer
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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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University of South Carolina
RECRUITINGColumbia, South Carolina, 29208, United States
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