A global target of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to reduce physical inactivity among all adults and adolescents by approximately fifteen percent by 2030. Social media could have an impact in this effort because of its enormous reach, potentially addressing underserved populations in need for physical activity (PA) interventions. This scoping review provides a broad overview of social media-based interventions and systematically maps the evidence regarding their effectiveness for PA promotion and other health outcomes. Scopus and Medline were searched using the terms “physical activity” and “social media” and the names of key social media platforms. Following the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews, abstracts and full texts were screened for eligibility. In total, 12,321 publications were identified and 53 met the inclusion criteria. The use of Facebook was most prevalent in PA interventions, followed by study-specific platforms. More than one third of the studies revealed positive effects regarding the promotion of PA. Additionally, social media-based interventions positively affected other physical dimensions of health (e.g., weight or blood pressure). Results pertaining to feasibility were heterogeneous. Social media seems to be a promising tool for increasing PA at the population level. Future studies should take the abundance of platforms into account and select social media platforms consciously.
ObjectivesThe main objective was to systematically map evidence regarding the emergence of health inequalities in individuals aged 16–24 years during school-to-work and school-to-university transition (STWT). Second, we aimed to summarise the evidence on potential effects of contextual and compositional characteristics of specific institutional contexts entered during STWT on health and health behaviours.DesignScoping review.Study selectionRelevant literature was systematically searched following the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. Ovid MEDLINE and Web of Science, and websites of the International Labour Organization and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were searched, using a predetermined search strategy. Articles in English or German published between 1 January 2000 and 3 February 2020 were considered.Data extractionTo collect the main information from the selected studies, a data extraction spreadsheet was created. Data were summarised and grouped into five health outcomes and five institutional contexts (school, vocational training, university, work, unemployment).ResultsA total of 678 articles were screened for inclusion. To be able to draw a picture of the development of various health outcomes over time, we focused on longitudinal studies. Forty-six prospective studies mapping health-related outcomes during STWT were identified. Higher family socioeconomic position (SEP) was associated with higher levels of health behaviour and lower levels of health-damaging behaviour, but there was also some evidence pointing in the opposite direction. Disadvantaged family SEP negatively impacted on mental health and predicted an adverse weight development. There was limited evidence for the outcomes physical/somatic symptoms and self-rated health. Meso-level characteristics of the institutional contexts identified were not systematically assessed, only individual-level factors resulting from an exposure to these contexts, rendering an analysis of effects of contextual and compositional characteristics on health and health behaviours impossible.ConclusionsThis scoping review demonstrated a wide range of health inequalities during STWT for various health outcomes. However, knowledge on the role of the core institutional contexts regarding the development of health inequalities is limited.
Globally, four out of five adolescents do not meet the recommendations for physical activity (PA). Moving large segments of young adults from inactivity to activity is essential to reach the global target of a 15% relative reduction in inactivity by 2030 worldwide. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of a social network-based PA intervention (WALK2gether) in vocational school students. Fourteen students from one vocational school in the city of Duesseldorf were instructed to walk ten thousand steps per day over six weeks. Applied behavior change techniques were self-monitoring of steps and social comparison via a pedometer app and a Facebook group. Indicators of feasibility were documented. The intervention was minimally resource intensive, with a total of 92 h spent by the research staff. The recruitment rate was 19.2% and loss-to-follow up 28.6%. Our data revealed no significant change in the target behavior PA from baseline to follow-up. The target population did not interact in the Facebook group, while a moderate use of the pedometer app was noted. Although the results ought to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, the findings suggest that the WALK2gether intervention was partially feasible, but not appropriate for the target group.
Background Globally, four of five adolescents do not meet the recommendations for physical activity (PA). This is a public health concern because moving large segments of young adults from inactivity to activity, is essential to reach the global target of a 15% relative reduction of inactivity by 2030 worldwide. This study aimed to pilot a social network-based PA intervention in a sample of young adults enrolled at vocational schools. Methods Fourteen students from one vocational school located in Duesseldorf were encouraged to walk 10.000 steps per day over an intervention period of six weeks. In the WALK2gether intervention, students received general information on PA in a Facebook group and were instructed to use the pedometer app Pacer to monitor their individual steps and compare their daily step count with fellow participants. The framework by Thabane et al. (2010) was was taken as a basis for examining the feasibility of the methods and procedures employed and for estimating the magnitude of potential intervention effects. Results The WALK2gether intervention turned out to be minimally resource intensive with, in total, 92 hours spent by the study staff on development and implementation. The recruitment rate was 19.2% and loss-to-follow was 28.6%. Descriptively analysed data revealed no noteworthy changes from baseline to follow-up neither in PA nor in other health outcomes, such as body mass index and quality of life. The target population did not interact in the Facebook group, while a moderate interaction with Pacer was noted. Conclusions This pilot study and intervention were only partially feasible. Although the results ought to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, our results suggest that the target group would rather benefit from a structured PA regimen with regular check-ins and PA counselling, possibly by vocational school teachers, than the very autonomous approach piloted in this study. Key messages • Results of this pilot study can inform the development and implementation of future social media-based PA interventions targeting young adults in vocational schools. • Optimization of the intervention and studies on a larger scale are necessary.
Background A global target of the WHO is to reduce physical inactivity in all adults and adolescents by approximately fifteen percent by 2030. Social media could have an impact in this effort because of its enormous reach, potentially addressing underserved populations in need for PA interventions. To date, characteristics and effectiveness of social media-based interventions for the promotion of PA are not well understood. This scoping review provides a broad overview of existing social media-based interventions and systematically maps the evidence regarding their effectiveness for PA promotion and other health outcomes. Methods Scopus and Medline were searched for the terms ‘physical activity’, ‘social media’ and key social media platforms. Following the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR), two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts for eligibility. Any discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer. All records referring to interventions delivered via any type of social media or at least incorporated one social media component of either pre-existing or study-specific platforms and addressed PA as primary outcome were included. Results were summarized following the objectives of this review. In addition, evidence on use, acceptability, and usability of interventions was mapped. Results In total, 12.321 publications were identified and 53 met the inclusion criteria. The use of Facebook was most prevalent in interventions to promote PA, followed by the incorporation of study-specific platforms alone or in combination with Facebook. Occasionally utilized applications included Twitter, Pokémon Go, and YouTube. More than one third of the studies revealed positive effects regarding the promotion of PA. Additional evidence emerged in this scoping review demonstrating that social media-based interventions have a positive impact on other physical dimensions of health (e.g. weight or blood pressure). Due to the great heterogeneity in the assessment of acceptability, use, and usability across the different publications, results cannot be pooled. However, the use of Facebook as a motivator for PA was rated positively across six of the included studies. Conclusions Social media seems to be a promising tool for increasing PA at the population level. Future studies should take the abundance of platforms into account and select social media interventions meeting the requirements, preferences, and needs of varying target populations.
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