Mobile app using daily incentives and action plans to build blood-pressure medication habits
Official title: Mobile Cued Adherence Therapy (mCAT): A Scalable Habit Formation Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Medication Adherence Based on a Widely Used Smartphone App
Run by Arizona State University · NCT06876233 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This tests whether a smartphone app that gives daily incentives and/or action-planning prompts can help adults with hypertension who sometimes miss pills take their blood-pressure medication more regularly and control their blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 600 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Arizona State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Los Angeles, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2028 |
| Study ends | March 30, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | March 16, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06876233 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults 18 and older with stage I or II hypertension, daily smartphone access, English literacy, at least six months of antihypertensive prescriptions, and documented nonadherence (over 73 days without prescription coverage in the past 12 months) are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients who are already consistently adherent, lack a smartphone, cannot read English, or are not captured in the prescription-claims system used to identify nonadherence may not benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This interventional trial compares three approaches delivered via a mobile app: daily incentives for taking antihypertensive pills, action-planning prompts that link pill-taking to daily routines, and the combination of both. Adults with diagnosed hypertension and documented medication nonadherence who have daily smartphone access will be assigned to one of the approaches and followed over time. The app tracks pill taking and delivers incentives and prompts while researchers monitor medication adherence, blood pressure, healthcare utilization, and costs. The study will also collect participant feedback to identify which incentive or planning features are most helpful and what barriers participants encounter.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help people form lasting pill-taking habits that improve blood pressure control and reduce healthcare use.
How similar studies have gone: Prior smaller studies have shown financial incentives and habit-focused mobile interventions can improve short-term medication adherence, but long-term maintenance and effects on blood pressure and costs remain less certain.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Eligibility Criteria: * Aged 18 years or older * Currently diagnosed with hypertension (either stage I or stage II hypertension) * Able to read/write/understand English * Have daily access to a smartphone * Engaged in hypertension care: Already been prescribed hypertension medication for a minimum of 6 months at the time of study enrollment * Demonstrated AH medication nonadherence by having over 73 days without documented AH medication prescription coverage (observable in Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) prescription drugs claims) in the past 12 months (i.e. \<80% mean adherence)
Where it's running
-
Wellth Inc.
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Chad D Stecher, PhD
- Email: chad.stecher@asu.edu
- Phone: 602-496-0957
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.