WatchWell: Simple home strategies to reduce harms from evening screen time
WatchWell: Simple and Practical Strategies to Reduce the Negative Health Impact of Sedentary Screen Time
This pilot will try using home devices and three easy changes—cutting nighttime blue light, avoiding late-night eating, and standing more—to see if they reduce health risks from evening recreational screen time in adults with excess weight and metabolic risk.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 30 (estimated) |
| Ages | 26 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Arizona State University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Tempe, Arizona) |
| Trial ID | NCT06963736 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
WatchWell is a pilot, randomized crossover study that tests three practical, home-delivered interventions—blue-light reduction, limiting late-night eating, and increasing standing—to reduce harms from evening recreational screen time. Participants are adults with overweight and at least two metabolic syndrome features who report three or more hours of recreational screen time that usually extends into the evening. The trial uses wearable devices and home technologies to monitor adherence and collect physiological and behavioral data, focusing on feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary cardiometabolic outcomes. Results will provide effect size estimates and user-feedback to guide larger, real-world trials.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults aged 26 or older with BMI ≥27 (or ≥25 if Asian), who are insufficiently active, report ≥3 hours of recreational evening screen time that usually extends past 9:00 pm, eat after 8:00 pm, and meet at least two metabolic syndrome criteria are the intended candidates.
Not a fit: People who are physically active, do not have prolonged evening screen time or late-night eating habits, or who have excluded sleep-disrupting conditions such as pregnancy, lactation, or nighttime caregiving are unlikely to benefit from these interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these low-burden home strategies could lower evening screen-time–related cardiometabolic risk and improve measures such as blood glucose, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
How similar studies have performed: Prior single-component studies targeting standing, meal timing, or blue-light reduction have shown mixed short-term benefits for sleep and metabolic markers, and combining these approaches in a home-based crossover format is relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria * ≥26 years of age * BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2\*; ≥25 kg/m2, if Asian (full or multiple race)\*\* * Insufficiently active (per US National Guidelines for Physical Activity of 150 minutes of MVPA/Week) * Reporting an average of ≥3 hours of recreational sedentary screen time (rSST) per day, that usually extends at least until 9:00pm. * On a typical night, consumes calories (food and/or drink) after 8:00pm. * Meet at least 2 criteria for metabolic syndrome * Central adiposity: waist circumference \>40 inches (men); \>35 inches (women) * Elevated blood pressure: SBP \>130 mmHg and/or DBP \>85 mmHg OR controlled with medication * Low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: \<40 mg/dL (men); \<50 mg/dL (women) * Elevated triglycerides: \>150 mg/dL OR controlled with medication * Elevated fasting glucose: ≥100 mg/dL OR controlled with medication Exclusion Criteria * Conditions related to sleep disruption, including lactation, pregnancy, mid-night care providers, sleep disorders, severe sleep apnea * History of hypoglycemia * Pacemaker * Caffeine consumption in excess and/or after 5pm (excess equals \>4 cups of coffee per day or equivalent) * Involvement in other physical activity, diet, or weight loss programs/studies * Weight change of 5% up or down in the last three months. * Drug abuse * THC use (smoking, edibles) * Excessive alcohol use (for women, 8 or more drinks per week; for men, 15 or more drinks per week) * Current smoker or user of any nicotine source - any amount or form (vapor/e-cig/tobacco/patch, gum, etc.) * Medications that markedly impact glucose metabolism and sleep (insulin, corticosteroids, growth hormone, melatonin) * Previous or current diagnosis of a clinical eating disorder (e.g., night eating syndrome, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder); or self-report eating disorder behaviors * Unstable or poorly controlled blood glucose (e.g., hypoglycemia, fasting glucose greater than 125 mg/dL) * Chronic illness that may be associated with weight change (HIV/AIDS, active cancer, or uncontrolled thyroid disease) * Shift work * Recent or upcoming jetlag (travel 3 months prior and during study that is \>1 time zone away from Arizona) * Current practice of evening and nighttime blue light blocking. * Poorly controlled hypertension (SBP ≥165 or DBP ≥100) * Any condition or circumstance that would prevent compliance to the protocol * Use non-android phone as their primary/personal phone
Where this trial is running
Tempe, Arizona
- Arizona State University — Tempe, Arizona, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Dorothy Sears, PhD — Arizona State University
- Study coordinator: Dorothy Sears, PhD
- Email: dsbanks@asu.edu
- Phone: 602-496-3351
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.