ACTIVATE Study
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MKUH), Milton Keynes City Council (MKCC) and Primary Care Services in the area in collaboration with University of Loughborough and app developers EXI®, are excited to announce a new initiative aimed at helping people with type 2 diabetes be more physical activity and improve their health.
The effectiveness of the intervention will be tested using a randomised controlled trial, where at the start of the trial, patients will either be given either the intervention or get their usual care.
Patients who get the intervention will be asked to download the Exi App onto their phone and register on the Exi system. They will be provided with an Apple Watch, that will help to track their physical activity. The App will give each person a tailored exercise prescription each week. Participants who achieve their prescription will earn points, which they can then convert into vouchers. Participants could earn up to £365 each year in vouchers if they achieved all their physical activity goals.
The study will recruit 1000 participants and will last two years. Half of the participants will receive the intervention at the start of the study, the other half will receive it 12 months into the trial.
The EXI app will provide each participant with a tailor-made exercise plan that they will follow to earn reward vouchers through physical activity and reaching their prescribed goals. Participants will be able to track their progress and speak with others through the EXI Community Group. EXI was awarded the contract to support the study via a competitive tender exercise, where it was highlighted as being a well-tested, easy to navigate system with security controls in place to ensure the privacy of patients participating in the trial is protected.
A local NHS research team, supported by Loughborough University, will undertake an evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention, including promoting sustainable behaviour change, improving diabetes management, and the impact on NHS costs.
How can I get involved?
Milton Keynes residents with type 2 diabetes will be invited by their local GP around the time of their diabetes annual review.
Participants will need to meet certain criteria to participate, and not everyone with type 2 diabetes in Milton Keynes will be invited to take part. For example, participants need to own or have access to an Apple iPhone, they need to live in Milton Keynes and need to have had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Last Modified: 2:43pm 26/09/2023