Study Purpose/Description
The Open to Move study invites healthy adults (18–69) in Australia to explore how open goals affect physical activity. Open goals are non-specific (e.g., “I’ll see how many steps I can reach today”) compared to specific goals (e.g., “I’ll walk 10,000 steps today”).
Participants will track their steps for a year via an app, join one-to-one meetings via Zoom to discuss their physical activity habits, and complete surveys about goal-setting. The study aims to understand:
- How open goals work
- Who benefits most or least from open goals
- When open goals are beneficial
- The long-term effects of open goals
This program supports participants in improving their physical activity habits with personalised goal-setting strategies and individual support through optional one-to-one meetings.
What’s Involved?
Participants will be asked to:
- Join two online meetings (~60–90 minutes total) to set up a physical activity tracking and survey app and discuss their physical activity and goal-setting experiences.
- Track their steps for 12 months using the app and optionally join fortnightly online meetings with a researcher (~30 minutes) for the first 6 months to discuss goals.
- Complete short surveys (~15 minutes) on the app about their feelings and perceptions of their physical activity and goals.
- Attend an online meeting after 12 months (~60 minutes) to complete surveys and an interview about their experience.
- Optional follow-up meetings 1 and 2 years later will include similar surveys and interviews.
Participants can track their steps at their own pace, and all activities are online—no travel required. The total time commitment is about 23 hours over 12 months.
All participants will receive two $20 gift vouchers (at 6 months and after 12 months) and can withdraw at any time.
Want to know more?
Learn more about the study at the Open to Move website: www.opentomove.com.au.
