Recruiting · registry status

Can a phone app help people stay physically active?

Researchers test whether a smartphone exercise app can increase everyday physical activity in people with Parkinson’s over 12 months.

Testing a treatment or activity · Study reference: NCT04848077

Plain-language introduction written with AI from the registry; not independently checked by a clinician. Read the original details below ↓

This registry record was last updated over six months ago, or its update date is missing. Recruitment may have changed. Confirm with the team before making plans.

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Looking for volunteers

Start (reported actual date): 2021-05-18
Main measurements finished (planned): 2026-09
Study finished (planned): 2026-09

Planned dates can move. A study finishing does not tell us when a paper will be published.

No results summary has been confirmed in the registry records we imported. See connected papers below; we keep checking after recruitment ends.

Changes we have recorded

2026-10-11 — recruiting

These are dates we observed a change, not necessarily the dates it happened.

Papers connected to this study

Schootemeijer S, de Vries NM, Macklin EA, Roes KCB, Joosten H, Omberg L, Ascherio A, Schwarzschild MA, Bloem BR. The STEPWISE study: study protocol for a smartphone-based exercise solution for people with Parkinson's Disease (randomized controlled trial). BMC Neurol. 2023 Sep 12;23(1):323. doi: 10.1186/s12883-023-03355-8. ↗
Registry derived research reference

Who can join?

Age 18 years and over · Does not accept healthy volunteers

These are starting points, not the full rules. The research team can tell you whether the study is right for your situation.

Read all the rules for taking part

Sex eligibility reported by registry: all

Inclusion Criteria: * idiopathic PD * Hoehn and Yahr 1-3 * able to understand the Dutch language * able to walk independently * equal to or less than 120 minutes of sports/outdoor activities per day (question 5-28 LASA Physical Activity Questionnaire (LAPAQ)) * less than 7,000 steps/day during 1-month baseline (week -4 until 0) Exclusion Criteria: * weekly falls in the previous 3 months * medical conditions that hamper mobility other than PD * living in a nursing home * cognitive impairments that hamper use of the motivational app (subjective evaluation by the assessor) * not in the possession of a suitable smartphone (Iphone 5S or newer with iOS 10 or higher or Android 4.1 or newer)

Full study name & original research details

Official study title

STEPWISE Parkinson: A Smartphone Based, Titrated Exercise Solution for Patients With Parkinson's Disease in Daily Life

Short title used by the registry

STEPWISE Parkinson: A Smartphone Based Exercise Solution for Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Original description

The aim of this study is to investigate whether a smartphone app can increase physical activity in patients with Parkinson's Disease in daily life for a long period of time (12 months).

Further description from the registry

Rationale: Exercise affords health benefits for people with Parkinson's disease (PD), but implementing exercise in daily life remains challenging. Moreover, many training programs are not very scalable. The investigators take an important step forward by developing and studying an innovative and fully decentralized smartphone-based program to increase long-term physical activity in people with PD in daily life. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate whether a smartphone app can increase physical activity in PD patients for a long period of time (12 months). The secondary aim is to test the potential group effect on physical fitness, motor- and non-motor symptoms. Thirdly, we aim to investigate whether there is a dose-response relationship between amount of physical activity and physical fitness, motor- and non-motor functioning. Study design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Study population: A total of 452 Dutch patients with PD who have no other medical conditions that markedly hamper mobility other than PD, no cognitive impairments that make it difficult to use a game on the smartphone and possess a suitable smartphone, will be recruited. Intervention: Participants will be randomized to a group that will be motivated to increase their physical activity level to a small, medium, large or very large degree with respect to their own baseline level.

Conditions reported: Movement Disorders; Parkinson Disease

Registry records for this study

Records are joined using registration identifiers. Titles alone do not establish that two studies are the same.

ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04848077 ↗ — RECRUITING; checked 2026-10-13
ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04848077 ↗ — Recruiting; WHO ICTRP processed 2025-04-28; checked 2026-10-13

Study type: Interventional
Interventions: Step count increase with the use of a motivational smartphone application
Phases: NA
Sponsor: Radboud University Medical Center
Start date reported by registry: 2021-05-18 (actual)

Registry updated: 2025-04-20 · Status last verified by the registry submitter: 2024-11

Registry records retrieved 2026-10-13 (UTC). Individual records may have older updates. Recruitment and eligibility must be confirmed with the study team.

Contact the research team

Public study contacts supplied to the registry. Ask whether recruitment is still open and what participation involves.

Sabine Schootemeijer, MSc · 00316 50155754 · sabine.schootemeijer@radboudumc.nl

Study locations

Site status can differ from overall study status. “Status not reported” means local availability needs confirmation. Remote participation and travel arrangements must be checked with the team.

Radboud university medical center

Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands

Recruiting

Sabine Schootemeijer, MSc. · 00316 50155754 · sabine.schootemeijer@radboudumc.nl

Facility not reported

Netherlands

Status not reported

The original descriptions and participation rules come from the registry. Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee benefit.